The death toll continues to rise on last nights Islamabad bombing and news reports are tallying the count to be somewhere around 60 dead and over 200 injured. This sadly also includes a few foreigners and the highest dignitary killed yesterday is the Czech Ambassador to Pakistan Ivo Zdarek while his Vietnamese parter is also missing up until now. Ambassador Zdarek had moved to Pakistan a month ago and was staying at the hotel.
Czech Embassy officials said that Zdarek called his embassy from inside the hotel moments after the explosion asking to be rescued, but had not been heard from since and later Czech media reports said police had pulled the diplomat’s body from the smouldering ruins.
Loss of life in any measure is condemnable, but it is far more embarrassing to have a guest visiting our country suffering the ultimate tragedy. Our heart and prayers go out to each person [local or international] killed in the incident, I only wish we could have done more to avoid this ultimate disaster and also wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
It is probably yet another incident that my heart truly weeps at seeing our Pakistan bleed so profusely. We must join hands and work towards taking Pakistan out of this spiraling disaster
Comments
7 responses to “Islamabad Update: ~60 dead, 200+ injured including Czech Ambassador”
One tragedy on the heels of another. God have mercy on us. aameeen.
Don’t know what these people get by doing this and making everyone else look bad in front of the western world who is always looking for excuses. God bless those that lost their lives..
What do you suggest we must do? What practical steps need to be taken to put an end to this all?
AAj TV Mushtaq Minhas on Islmabad Blast
http://www.pakpoint.com/2008/09/21/aaj-tv-mushtaq-minhas-on-islmabad-blast/
i agree with one thing that Rahman Malik said stop gloryfing the terrorist he saying this to the media i think our media has a played a very bad role by giving air time to these evil creatures they are not wothty of calling humans if we don;t put there point of view in front of us they will never get guts to do this things and i am still surprize that some of my friends are still blaming the army and the giv policy at least if we get united on a signle stand it will make things easier to solve .
and i admire the courage of the security gaurds of Marriot whom convinced me that we are not a nation of cowards
The death of a single civilian, whether it happens in the posh areas of Islamabad or the rugged terrain of NWFP or the tribal areas is condemnable.
Pakistan is becoming an Iraq. And it is time that we, the citizens, do something about it. I wish we do something before things lead us to a civil war, in case of a civil war we will have to do what the Lebanese did (or at least tried to do).. i.e. to form a human shield against all the fighting miltias so that they would stop bombing…
What we are doing in the tribal region has to have an adverse effect on Pakistan. Imran Khan has questioned if the taliban have an ID card which helps the US forces and the Pakistani forces to recognized them. Every single tribal man has a beard and a gun, but that does not make him a God damned terrorist! With the same damned gun and the beard they have defended our border, helped gain control of a large part of AJK and that is why we never needed to have forces on that side of the border! Why are we turning them into enemies?
If someone kills an innocent, illiterate and impoverished Pakistani’s son, father, mother or sister, he is bound to seek revenge and the various masters of the great game we are caught in are eager to make such people their pawns…
No one has a soft corner for a suicide bomber but we have to realize that injustice breeds injustice.
It might be the RAW, it might be the Taliban/Al-Qaeda, or it might be the CIA, or it could well be a joint operation of all of them including our own traitors of course.
We have to do something about this all. We, the citizens, the normal Pakistanis really really need to do something about it and I wish I could know what it would be.
Lets not forget what we did to the Balochis during the 7 years rule of Musharraf. At least I can’t forget the pictures of innocent kids and women I saw at a website of baloch rebels… these civilians were of course killed by Pak Army.
Watch those pics while you mourn the dead of the Marriott to see how good we are at sowing seeds of hatred in the hearts of no one else but our own brothers and sisters. The website (probably BLA’s) URL is: http://www.balochwarna.org
Lets not forget that hatred is bound to give rise to nothing but sheer hatred…
We’ve seen lot of media for events happening in Islamabad and Lahore. Many more have been killed in Baluchistan, North & South Waziristan, Swat valley, and Bajaur Agency (FATA). Yet, we see scant media attention to these un-named people, almost all Muslims, just because they are perceived as backward, poor, and with no ‘back’. Therefore, we forget them at will.
In any case, this bombing has once again proved that the most sufferers are poor men and women. In Islamabad yesterday poor drivers got killed. But we know for sure that the main target(s) were American Marines, who were having dinner Iftari inside (ground floor) apparently. Two of them have been confirmed killed in the attack (by Pentagon officials in D.C.) And, we are finding out pretty fast that Marriott Hotel, Islamabad, was the favourite place for American Marines, American CIA, FBI agents, and hordes of Intelligence men who’ve been training and conducting raids into the homes of innocent men and women in FATA region. So, our Rehman Malik, latest security advisor (sic) to Govt. cannot deny the fact that these attacks are aimed at Americans. Unfortunately, common man on the street is the one who suffers most.