IT was a distressing spectacle, though a sadly predictable one. As the National Assembly took up for discussion the recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express and the brutal killing of several of its passengers by BLA terrorists, it was evident how much damage has been wreaked on national unity by the gradual erosion of Pakistan’s democracy. Nursing some bitter grievances, our elected representatives, instead of using the sessions to dissect how this devastating incident occurred and debating parliament’s best response to it, appeared more focused on political point-scoring than national interest. Their indifference to the gravity of the moment was staggering as they traded accusations, instead of capitalising on the occasion to present a united front against a common adversary. It was particularly unfortunate that a federal minister, who ought to have been demonstrating a much greater sense of responsibility considering the circumstances, instead accused the main opposition party of ‘sympathising with terrorists’.

It was quite ironic that the minister in question was regretting that the incident had been politicised by the opposition even as he did the very same himself with an unnecessarily provocative speech. One may reasonably assume that this is precisely the kind of divisiveness that the enemies of this country would like to see. It is also the kind of distraction that will allow those responsible for preventing such a serious lapse of security evade any real accountability for their shortcomings. The train hijacking should be a wake-up call to those who have hitherto refused to acknowledge repeated warnings that the state’s favoured policies have often spelt disaster in the long run. The nation needs to be allowed to heal, and for that to happen, its powerful elites must stop attempting to divide it constantly based on a few narrow interests. National unity cannot be built on words alone — it demands accountability, vision, and an end to the politics of division.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025