THE attempted terrorist attack on GHQ, most condemnable as it is, has raised many concerns, not the least of which is the issue of how these terrorists reached the second picket before they were intercepted. Almost according to script, the TTP has claimed responsibility and has picked up the demands of Pakistanis across the board regarding Blackwater, Dr. Afiya and the governments alliance with the US. This is interesting because it reflects a clear intent to malign these genuine demands of the Pakistani nation by somehow linking them to terrorists demands. These are desperate times for the US in Pakistan and desperation breeds dangerous behaviour. Is it not strange that the TTP focused on these political issues rather than on the impending army operation in South Waziristan? The timing also seems coincidental to the growing opposition to the KLB in Pakistan which has left the PPP isolated in its support of this American legislation. Moreover, the incident occurred at a time when Islamabad was being invaded by US lobbyists for the KLB ranging from John Kerry to Ambassador Nancy Powell. Is this a means of scaring people into accepting the unacceptable terms of the KLB, and psychologically pushing the military into a hasty commencement of a conventional military operation in South Waziristan? However, the most important factor in this targeting of GHQ is that it follows the blast at the Indian embassy in Kabul. In the immediate aftermath of that attack we saw the devastating suicide attack in Peshawar followed by this incident. The Indian hand cannot be ruled out especially since it has been revealed that the GHQ attackers carried heavy weapons. Where did these weapons come from? It is known that the TTP is now not only a decentralised group of militants but that most of these groups have been infiltrated by Kabul and India. Again, is it a mere coincidence that only a few days earlier the US had provided safe shelter to wanted security personnel who had prohibited bore weapons courtesy Inter-Risk security agency? After all, the security officials who wanted to question these personnel were denied access to them by the US diplomats. They were primarily retired soldiers, including from the special forces, so they would have no problem getting hold of camouflage clothing which is what the GHQ attackers wore. The linkages need to be made to understand what happened in Peshawar and Rawalpindi. Finally, let us remember the innocent civilians who continue to die in these acts of terrorism alongside the military personnel. This is the nation the US seeks to undermine and the military it seeks to gain direct control over. Let the sacrifices of our own not go in vain.