Looks like a rest day today, sort of. We were supposed to do a NEO drill
today. Now, least you go off on a flight
of fancy wondering what type of a drill might be used by the protagonist of the
Matrix series, allow me to explain. A
NEO is a non-combatant evacuation order.
It is when an embassy sends everyone but key personnel home to the US. Our office was doing this, as we do several
times a year, just to be prepared. We
didn’t tell the rest of the Embassy we were running this drill so as not to
alarm them. In the past week the Pakistan
Military has become very active in pursuing insurgents. They have hit them hard in Miranshah. So it seemed like a good time to run a NEO
drill as retaliatory attacks in the major cities were expected. So, I was expecting a click-a-tel (text) this
morning around 07:00 telling us that the exercise was underway and to come to
work with our go-bags (bags of essentials used when making a hasty exit). Instead, I woke up when my alarm went off and
saw a text much earlier than expected: 05:15.
The text mentioned staying in our homes because of multiple bomb blasts
around the city. I found it odd that it
didn’t begin with the words EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE. Then I noted it was form the Embassy and not
from our office. I immediately went
online to check the news and yes indeed, two bombs went off early in the
morning. One in sector G9, an area I
rarely go to; the other in F6 Market, near where I was at last night. F6 is where most of the shops I frequent are
located. The news is still sparse but from
what I’ve been able to read so far it appears some dumb ass was planting a bomb
at 02:00 when confronted by a security guard.
The bomb detonated killing the miscreant and injuring the guard. At the moment we are restricted to our
homes. Travel is allowed only for
essential personnel and then only in hard cars (bullet/bomb proof
vehicles).
It will be interesting to see how my last few weeks here
play out. I expect more incidents will
occur as the TTP become increasingly desperate.
We don’t know right now if the military actions in the tribal areas are
the start of a major offensive, like they executed in Swat in ’09, or simply
more of the surgical strikes they have been performing. Either way, the targeted assaults are
welcome. The Pakistani military despise the Taliban. Too many in this country have died at their
hand. Far more than the US has lost in
Afghanistan.
These are serious times for Pakistan. These are serious times for the entire
region. I pray the US does not foolishly
abandon Pakistan as we withdraw from Afghanistan. After living here for over a
year I feel a sense of belonging. I have
friends here. I know that the majority
of the population does not want religion forced upon them, even as they are
deeply committed to Islam. Despite what
the West may think Islam is not a violent religion. Wahhabism may well be but to lump all Muslims
in with the Wahhabis is to lump all Christians in with the Westboro Baptist
Church!
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