Thaindian News

Islamabad, May 25 (IANS) Heads must roll over the terror attack at a key Karachi military base, said a Pakistani daily, declaring that the “trust in the hitherto unquestioned competence of our armed forces” had been lost.

Heavily armed terrorists stormed the naval base Sunday night and targeted two surveillance aircraft. Fourteen people, including four terrorists, were killed in the 16-hour siege that ended Monday afternoon.

An editorial in the Daily Times Wednesday said: “The attack on PNS Mehran in Karachi has shaken the people of Pakistan. When the country’s most powerful institution, the armed forces, is not safe from such a brutal attack, how can the common man feel safe?”

On navy chief Admiral Noman Bashir’s statement that the attack was not due to any security breach, it said: “If losing 10 soldiers, two Orion aircraft and being under siege for 16 hours does not constitute a security failure, then our guardians must share their ‘wisdom’ with the rest of the nation and let us know what they consider ‘failure’.”

“Admiral Bashir’s response is typical of all high officials… They never accept their mistakes. But this culture of impunity, particularly where the armed forces are concerned, must be changed.”

The editorial bluntly said that “heads must roll and the terrorists who got away should be found and prosecuted”.

It added that this is not just a security breach but “also an intelligence failure of the highest order. We lost our soldiers, we lost millions of dollars worth of aircraft and we also lost our trust in the hitherto unquestioned competence of our armed forces”.

“All this is a result of the decline in professionalism in the military.”

Criticising the country’s armed forces, the editorial said: “Pakistan’s military is busy meddling in politics, keeping tabs on civilians and making money. Instead of wasting time on things that are not central to their concerns, the military should go back to the barracks in letter and spirit.”

“Pakistan has suffered immense damage because of the military’s decline in professionalism. In these trying times when the terrorists make it seem so easy to attack any place at will, we need our soldiers to concentrate on the fight against the scourge of terrorism.”