The suicide bombings that rocked the four provinces of Pakistan in the wake of the Lal Masjid episode touched alarming heights in 2007, averaging more than one hit a week as the country’s military and intelligence establishment gradually lost control of the extremist jehadi networks and their leaders.
Terrorism experts say Pakistan has been turned into the suicide bombing capital of the world, especially in the aftermath of the Lal Masjid action, with the security forces, especially the Army and the police, frequently being targeted by human bombs.
While Benazir Bhutto’s tragic murder on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi was the most high-profile suicide attack that year, the people of Pakistan suffered 56 suicide hits between January and December, mostly targeting the security forces.