At Penpoint The attack on Data Darbar was meant by the terrorists to maximise casualties, and it did so. But it also set off a series of protests that were probably not anticipated, because Ali Hajveri, Data Ganj Bakhsh, has so many devotees, but also because his shrine is symbolic of Lahore, and is more symbolic than the dynasties that have ruled here, as it has outlasted them all, and has seen the arrival of all of them. The tomb is also the greatest symbol, not just in Lahore but in the entire region, of the Sufi form of Islam, which the USA sees as useful, and thus the attack should be seen as similar to that on Jamia Naeemia, which saw the head of the Jamia, Mufti Sarfraz Hussain Naeemi, assassinated. However, the attempt to attack a prominent symbol of the Brelvi faction is simplistic, for it assumes an identity between the Deobandis, who like the Ahl-e-Hadith look upon most of Data Sahibs devotees as grave worshippers, but ignores the fact that they also recognise mysticism, or Sufi practices as part of the religion. However, Deobandis do not accept the concept of anyone having an influence beyond the grave, and regard Data Sahib as an example of what happens when grave-visitation becomes grave-worship. Yet the Deobandis of Lahore claim Data Sahib, and the rituals associated with the shrine go beyond mere theology. Thus, when candidates who do not follow Sufi practices win, they turn up at Data Sahib to pay their respects when they come to town. The person who claimed that the present site was in the old course of the Ravi was a sort of Deobandi, but he also claimed to know the true site, which he said he had visited. However, the attack once again raises questions of why the USA thinks the Brelvi followers of Sufi practices more useful. Data Sahib came to Lahore in 1041, and on that timescale has been associated with Lahore for 969 years. That 966 urses, or anniversaries, have been held is because they are held according to the Hijri calendar. The 1000th Gregorian anniversary is coming up. As the oldest of Lahores monuments to which the public was given access, it easily became very famous and also a favoured tourist spot. Since there were many deghs offered all the time, it was also a place where a free meal could be had, no questions asked. Data Sahib was considered the centre of the Brelvis, and a blast there not only had a large number of victims, but also would let slip the sectarian demons that were supposed to afflict the Muslims. It is noteworthy that both Deobandi and Brelvi are of the Hanafi school of thought, and any differences are mainly among the schools scholars, and on issues of history, rather than any differences of practice, such as distinguish the Ahl-e-Hadith. Because there are no differences of practice, the average Muslim does not consider himself as belonging to one of the schools, and when compared to both, it is possible to spend a lifetime veering between the two. Apparently, not the best basis to divide people, it is still useful, because the Brelvi school helped in the retention of Hindu practices in Muslim form (like the traditional Hindu bhajan being retained in the shape of the naat so beloved of the Brelvis, for which Indian tunes are borrowed in modern remixes), with grave worship supposedly corresponding to visits to mandirs. The conversion of Indian peoples took place at the hands of Sufis, who all laboured long and hard to win this land for Islam. Many of the stories told about Hindu sadhus have been ascribed to Muslim saints, and Ali Hajveri falls in both categories. Another aspect of the attack, which like previous attacks has been linked with the increase in the Blackwater presence in Lahore, has been the possibility of a shift in the US pressure on the Pakistan army from the operation in Waziristan that it has not yet launched, and which it still wants badly to cover up its own failures in Afghanistan, to an operation in South Punjab. The use of the term 'Punjabi Taliban has been popularised by the Federal Interior Minister, and the PML-N, which is in office in the Punjab, though in opposition in the centre, has been accused of giving jihadi elements security. An operation in South Punjab would require the dismissal of the Shahbaz government. It probably would not require that, as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has not been dismissed for action not just in the federally administered tribal areas, but in the provincially administered areas themselves. But the central government has tried to get rid of the Punjab government once before, and would try for this again. However, for this it would need to convince the USA that the Shahbaz government was a hurdle on this front in the 'war on terror, The Punjab has not been a priority in the 'war on terror, except as the home of the so-called Punjabi Taliban, who have been called into existence for partisan purposes, out of those elements of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan who were formerly part of the sectarian organisations having their origin there. That sectarian tilt has its origins in anti-Shia feeling there, and because there are very few minorities there. Because of greater past tolerance, the north and centre of Lahore, including Lahore, are richer in targets, and people from South Punjab, seeking Heaven, go there. Thus in South Punjab, there are a number of Deobandi gaddis, who are also at home with Sufi practices. This Deobandi influence pervades the whole of the South Punjab and spreads into Sindh, but is closely linked to Sufi practices, thereby showing the inherent unity of the two schools, which originated in two famous madressahs, one at Bar-eilly and the other at Deoband, both in the UP, and thus now part of India rather than Pakistan, though both have got disciples aplenty there. The Brelvi School has been identified by American think-tanks as worth encouraging because it is not political, and encourages people to follow Sufi practices, and thus does not emphasise jihad, as is done by other sects more involved to political Islam. The USA, perhaps, should realise that the Usmanlis perfected the use of Sufi orders for the propagation of jihad, and how all of Islam will lead to the same result. Though Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, it is very much a religion that does not leave this world alone. The apparent surprise at political Islam is a product of Western concepts of the place of religion, as something to be kept out of 'this world. Therefore, whereas it should be understood that the Data Darbar blast was not conducted by political Islamists, it should also be understood that attempts to divide the Muslims will not succeed, because they are Muslim, not despite. Email: maniazi@nation.com.pk