Hit the suicide bomber before he hits you-Or RUN at his first sight!

Last Sunday I came across an article written in The News, on the City News page. I think what attracted me most to it was its heading, ‘Hit the Suicide bomber before he hits target’, so putting my cup of tea down, I started reading the article with great enthusiasm. If you haven’t already read it, I’ll share the crux of it so as to spread general awareness or fear, depending upon how brave you are!

The Islamabad police, in order to help the general public in identifying the attacker, have released a ‘research-based outlook of the behavioral patterns of the suicide attacker’. The conclusion drawn from these researches, along with a little sarcasm from my side to keep things from getting a little too strenuous, shows that:-

“A moving human bomb may be young between 18-25 years of age, with a plump look because of wearing an explosive jacket (The Afghan kid you make fun of for being fat may not be fat at all! So, instead of mocking him, RUN AWAY!). He might be wearing new clothes, not washed even for a single time and new shoes and might have trimmed his hair. (That’s pretty thoughtful on the part of the terrorist to approach his death with such preparation, after all he’s going to take the first flight off to heaven and meet the gazillion hoors awaiting him!) Due to continuous sleeplessness his eyes might be red (Of course, how can you even think of sleeping when you have to blow yourself in a few days!) He often does not pay attention to anyone while going for a kill and moves straight to his target ( If you see anyone crossing the road in a reckless fashion, start screaming and find the nearest possible hiding place!) He may be fasting and keep on reciting. (Okay, if you see anyone speaking inaudibly, please try NOT to question his sanity or you won’t be left to tell the tale!) The handler of attacker points out the target only 10-15 minutes before attack thus giving a short time to accomplish the task. (So, my dear friends, instead of waiting for the fireworks to begin, cover your ears and hide behind something that’ll protect you from the cute little pallets coming your way!)”

Well, after such a thorough description of the attacker it is your moral duty to pin point the target, and if you fail to do so, you’re not only un-attentive but illiterate as well!!

On a serious note, I appreciate this effort by the Islamabad police in order to make the public aware of the attackers. The only problem or dilemma we have today is that we are fighting a faceless enemy, it can be anyone. This description fits majority of the males we see on daily basis, does that mean we should question each and every one of them? Leaving men aside, what of the women who are being recruited to do such attacks, how will you identify them?! Will every burqa clad woman be checked to see if she’s wearing a suicide jacket?

The only thing we can do is to pay attention to our surroundings, be aware of the people who live around you, and if God forbids, you do come across someone who seems suspicious, then instead of panicking try to inform the authorities as quick as you can without giving the attacker a chance to see that he has been identified. We have to keep in mind that these people are highly trained, and if he gets a clue that someone has spotted him, he will blow himself there and then. We have to save lives, because we all are a family. We have to do our individual duty to stop these attackers from taking more innocent lives! We are at war, and every one of us has to play one’s part!

So, keep your eyes and ears open, and God bless you all!

Long live Pakistan!