But this is sure to be followed by a painful silence until the terrorists strike again. The blast also allows government opponents to score some political points by blaming the authorities for failing to provide security. Terrorist acts in Pakistan started during the Afghan war, when the international community, particularly the United States, generously provided sophisticated weapons to Islamic groups to fight the Soviet forces. According to the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, as many as 110 people were killed during 1998 in bomb blasts. The victims of this most recent Islamabad bomb were also poor, daily wage laborers, most of them Afghan refugees living in a camp on the city's outskirts.
Various theories circulate as to the motives and perpetrators of the blast.
Najum Mushtaq, a columnist, traces them to Afghanistan, going counter to the official line that implicates the Indian intelligence agency for most such acts. According to one view, the Taliban and their opponents in the Northern parts of Afghanistan are fighting a proxy war in Pakistan. Islamabad has distanced itself from the Taliban in the face of intense international pressure suggesting it supports groups involved in international terrorism. Despite this, many observers believe that Pakistan's ties with the Taliban are still firm, if less cordial. Dr. Mazari denied international pressure was having any effect.