Chowrangi

Well before the horrendous assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Ministry of defense had issued the red warning to many of the leading politicians regarding their safety, and in their repetitive warnings Ministry informed these men and women that they could be the next target of a suicide attack or a bomb blast.

Warned politicians included late Benazir Bhutto, Aftab Sherpao, Pervez Elahi, Shiekh Rashid Ahmed, Nawaz Sharif, Fazlur Rehman, and some of the others. Terrorists succeeded in targeting the Benazir Bhutto, and now Ministry is again and again warning other politicians to watch it.

For Fazlur Rehman, they have even drawn a sketch of the potential suicide bomber, and have already conveyed to Fazl that the bomber or sniper may try to shoot him through a concealed gun or may try to blow himself upon him. Fazlur Rehman must have been cringing at the thought, and he is fully aware that if such unfortunate incident happens, nobody even in Tank or Dera Ismail Khan would torch a single “Khoka”, though his still-incomplete Madarissah could be burned down by the mob.

Pervez Elahi is also under threat, quite understandably as flour and sugar is still very short in the country. Sheikh Rashid is also under threat, which is also quite digestible given the number of train accidents happened in his and just after his tenure. Sherpao seems to be the favorite target of terrorists, and has managed to escape couple of time narrowly.

These leaders are luckier than the common man. These high profile figures have only to dread from the killer in the shadows, whereas along with becoming “collateral damage” in the terrorist attacks, common man has to fear from the sure threats of price hike, hoarding, food crisis, power, water and gas load-shedding and the list goes on.

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