On 2 November 2014, a suicide bomb attack occurred on the Pakistani side of the Wagah border in Punjab killing over 60 people. Sameer Patil, associate national security, ethnic conflict and terrorism fellow at Gateway House, comments on the attack.
Statement
“The suicide bomb attack that took place at the Wagah border checkpoint near Lahore has resulted in the death of over 60 people. While the attack did not spill over into Indian soil, it is nonetheless important to both Pakistan and India because it took place on the border and targeted the Wagah border flag ceremony that has been taking place uninterrupted for years.
This attack highlights the inability of the Pakistani army to ensure better safety measures in sensitive locations at peak times, despite repeated terror attacks in the past targeting crowded places. Pakistan had shared intelligence with India about the possibility of such an attack during the flag lowering ceremony. It appears that Pakistan had taken safety precautions but clearly, as the death toll suggests, they were inadequate.
The Al Qaeda-affiliated Jundallah was the first terrorist group to claim responsibility for the attack however their claim does not appear to be genuine. The attack is more likely an act by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). If so, this will be their first major attack since their split and the start of the Pakistani military’s operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan, which hit the TTP badly. Given that the attack took place in Punjab, the TTP probably had the assistance of the Punjabi Taliban as well, which has been known for its vicious attacks against the Pakistani security forces and the Shia Muslim community. In the past, attacks by the TTP have occurred during Muharram processions—that this attack took place in the month of Muharram might not be a coincidence.”
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