Pakistan is at war with itself, says media

The audacious terrorist siege of a police training centre in Lahore is an indication of the
danger posed by the enemy within Pakistan, the media here said on Tuesday, cautioning against the tendency of blaming the "foreign hand" for such attacks.

Noting that terrorists have been systematically targeting security forces, Pakistan's leading newspapers said the administration has to devote all its energies to bring to book those disrupting the country's stability.

"It should be clear by now that we are at war with ourselves as the enemy within grows more audacious by the day. Yet there are educated people in this country who continue to blame American foreign policy and the ever-potent 'foreign hand' for the wave of terrorism sweeping the country," the Dawn newspaper said in its editorial.

This argument is deeply flawed as Pakistani intelligence agencies once provided logistical support to militant groups that could further "strategic depth" interests in Kashmir and Afghanistan, it said in the editorial "Pakistan under attack".

People arguing that terrorists who stormed the police training centre in Lahore and attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team earlier this month must have had the backing of a
"foreign power" are overlooking "the fact that those who were freedom fighters a few years ago and are now labelled as terrorists were trained by the best in the business," it said. 

"Too much is at stake. This country's very existence is at great risk, presently enmeshed as it is precariously in the throes of an international conspiracy," said The Frontier Post
in its editorial.

The Dawn added: "It doesn't matter who the paymasters might be. What we have now are Pakistanis killing Pakistanis, Muslims killing Muslims. And while we are at it, let us
discard once and for all the absurd notion that the people who carry out such dastardly acts cannot possibly be Muslims.

"They are Muslims. In fact, these terrorists and militants consider themselves to be far truer Muslims than those who oppose them".

The Daily Times said in its editorial that it would be easy to speculate about the involvement of an "Indian hand" in the attack but there "is very little to go on" in this regard.

"Most incidents of this sort have been blamed on India before, only to discover later that they had their origin inside Pakistan as a part of the ongoing war with Al Qaida and
its local foot soldiers," the newspaper cautioned.

"And some of them have been owned by the commanders of Baitullah Mehsud, the warlord who sits at head of the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan."

The Nation, in its editorial, said: "A major reason behind the success of the terrorists is the unending politicking, the imposition of Governor's Rule in Punjab being the latest example." 

"There is need on the part of the politicians both in power and in opposition, to cooperate to bring the much needed stability to the country. The establishment too has to devote all energies to bring to book those disrupting stability. The perception that it has favourites among the terrorists needs to be removed," The Nation said.

The Daily Times said that the terrorists are systematically targeting security personnel, including policemen and Khasadar militia battling militants, in an effort to discourage men from seeking employment with these forces.