The twin bomb blasts in Karachi on the midnight of October 18-19, which killed 139 persons and wounded hundreds of others, represent a criminal act of terror against the people of Pakistan.

The bomb blasts were designed to produce maximum casualties, in the midst of a crowded procession of tens of thousands of people accompanying PPP leader Benazir Bhutto after her return to Pakistan just a few hours earlier. They were also designed to create maximum sensation, since the whole procession was being filmed continuously by television channels in Pakistan and from around the world. This makes it clear that the intention behind the blasts was not just to assassinate Benazir Bhutto, as is being made out. It was intended to create panic and consternation among the population as a whole. It was an attempt to forcefully change the political scene in Pakistan, by diverting attention from the real troubles facing the people, for which they are struggling to find a solution, and focusing public attention instead on speculation about alleged plots against various political figures.

The Karachi bomb blasts must not be viewed in isolation but must be seen against the background of, first, the sharply escalating political crisis in Pakistan, and secondly, the increasing occurrence of such bomb blasts not just in Pakistan, but in South Asia and other regions of the world. Bomb blasts and other such vile acts of mass terror are used to disrupt mass movements, and to disorientate and render people politically passive. Such acts invariably strengthen the hands of those in power, by providing justification for measures to strengthen “law and order” that trample on the human and democratic rights of the people. The threads that connect those who carry out such heinous acts lead back in countless cases to intelligence agencies, “counter-terror networks” and other agencies of various states. The past masters at organising such “dirty tricks” are the American and other imperialists, as well as the Indian and other reactionary ruling classes of our region. As is well known, the US imperialists are deeply involved in the present situation in Pakistan, and are feverishly intriguing behind the scenes to ensure that the deepening crisis there does not affect their interests in the region.

People's Voice expresses its deepest condolences to the thousands of people in Pakistan bereaved on account of the bomb blasts. The people of Pakistan need to persist in their struggles for their rights and heighten their vigilance against those who have no qualms about butchering them in pursuit of their own interests.