This is an attack on Pakistan

They were killed for being Pakistanis, not Ismailis

This line of response to atrocities within Pakistan is not new, but has become rather common, as was seen after the horrific recent assault on the Ismaili community in Karachi.

However, there is a problem with this.

As mentioned before, attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan are often deemed a continuation of the plague of terrorism in the country; violence that is raging yet indiscriminate, targeting and affecting all Pakistanis.

However, the danger of this narrative is that it blurs a gory reality; that religious minorities face fatal focus from terrorists and extremists; especially targeted and massacred.

From the Shia Hazaras in Quetta to Shikarpur, from Kot Radha Kishan to Youhanabad, and now Safoora Chowrangi, there is a cold-blooded calculation behind this blood-letting, and these are truly besieged communities.