A week after the brutal slaying of around 50 Shia Ismaili Muslims in Karachi, there seems to be some forward movement in the case.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan told the media that the mastermind as well as the operatives involved in the bus attack were in custody.

It was also claimed that the suspects were involved in a large number of crimes, including the murder of activist Sabeen Mahmud, the attempt on American academic Debra Lobo’s life as well as various other acts of terrorism in Karachi.

Take a look: From IBA graduate to 'terror suspect'?

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah held a similarly themed briefing, in which he gave greater details about the men in custody, as well as the crimes they have allegedly committed.

While the men have not been linked to any group, one suspect is said to have been in contact with slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, as well as his successor Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Much of the information has apparently been obtained through confessions, hence it will be up to the joint interrogation team to dig deeper and come up with solid evidence that can be used to prosecute these individuals.

What is of particular concern, however, is that most of the suspects were “well-educated”, reportedly having studied disciplines as diverse as business administration, engineering and Islamic studies from reputable public and private universities in Karachi.

While this is not for the first time that claims have emerged of ‘educated’ militants carrying out acts of terrorism, it certainly raises a red flag that the state and academic institutions in Pakistan cannot afford to ignore.

While the generally accepted stereotype of the Islamist militant in Pakistan is that of the madressah-going talib usually from an economically disadvantaged background, the recent revelations — as well as past incidents — point to another kind of extremist fighter: the university-educated, tech-savvy jihadi.

Students linked to extremist outfits have in the past been picked up from varsities in Punjab while more recently, a public university in Islamabad was accused of promoting a sectarian doctrine on campus.

Also, many of the Western jihadi fighters currently involved in conflicts in the Middle East come from educated backgrounds.

While it would be premature to label Pakistan’s university campuses as hotbeds of extremism, there is certainly a problem with educated young individuals willing to take up the gun in the name of faith.

The general rightward shift of society over the last few decades, as well as the establishment’s overt and covert policy of supporting so-called jihad, is partly to blame. These individuals may also be adopting the path of militancy in reaction to perceived injustices against Muslims in different parts of the world.

Whatever the cause, the state — with the help of academia — needs to address the issue of extremism on the campus before more space is lost to fanatical, murderous ideologies.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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