The Marriott Blast - the consequences could be chosen.

Some analysts describe the September 20th bomb blast that rocked Islamabad as Pakistan's 9/11.

That innocent lives were lost, that desperate people were trying in vain to call help from the windows of the doomed building, that the plan was dramatically spectacular and probably worked beyond the expectations of the conspirators, likens the tragedy to 9/11 indeed. However, like 9/11 the repercussions of the Marriott Blast should not be an excuse to set off a chain of events that bring more misery to the world.

What's done cannot be undone but its consequences can be chosen. Though horrific and brutal, the Marriott Blast should not be the precursor to unleashing a prejudiced assault on anything even remotely associated with the Tribal Belt.

9/11 was horrific and brutal too. But it fails to justify the atrocities in Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. It does not justify the lackey governement in Afghanistan that is largely becoming a footboard for the U.S. Administration to engage in arbitrary forays into other territories. 9/11 cannot justify the premise on which Iraq was invaded and her oil was contracted out to choicest consortiums.

The Government of Pakistan right now must be commended for avoiding any 'we'll hunt down those folks' or 'we'll smoke 'em out' speeches. But what's more crucial is to approach the issue with foresight and hindsight. Should we really fight this war with the U.S. perception? Should we just stop at FATA and not go beyond why FATA became a hotbed of conspiracy? Should we not bolster our own preparedness for such tragedies and get adequate disaster management infrastructure for starters? So many lives could have been saved if the Government had effective Fire Brigade machinery. This sloppiness after the great Earthquake in Northern Pakistan is inexcusable.

As for us, the common public. Should we also look at the tragedy with colored filters? Should we think of all bearded men and 'hijabed' women as plotting fundos? Should we really think of all Pashtuns as bloody extremists? Don't their women and children die in the Army Operation? Their maimed and mutilated children have relatively no hope for future. They're still human even if not as high profile as the foreigners who lost their lives tragically in the poshest hotel of the Capital.