Pakistan has suffered and continues to suffer heavy human and material losses due to terrorism.
ISLAMABAD: Yet another heartrending tragedy that sent a shiver down the spines of everyone who came to learn about it, not only in Pakistan, but across the world, is the one that struck 10 foreign mountaineers and a Pakistani on June 23 at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth tallest peak. The innocent souls, who had come to climb Nanga Parbat, one of the most stunning marvels of the world, couldn’t have ever imagined that they would fall prey to the brutal attacks of a handful of ruthless militants and lose their valuable lives in the bargain.
The terrorist attacks on the foreign trekkers in the Himalayas will have a damaging effect on Pakistan’s already-declining tourism industry and could also take a heavy toll on the abysmally low foreign investment into the country. Above all, it may leave an indelible mark on Pakistan’s excellent bilateral relations with countries whose citizens were killed in the attack. What has happened is indeed tragic and condemnable in the strongest terms. The prime minister and the president of Pakistan, the legislators of the country and people from every walk of life have vociferously condemned the brutal killing of the foreign mountaineers.
One sincerely hopes and prays that the countries affected by this tragic incident would appreciate that Pakistan, which has become an unfortunate victim of terrorism, over the past decade, has been resolutely trying to grapple with this menace. Pakistan has suffered and continues to suffer heavy human and material losses due to terrorism. It is valiantly fighting this menace and would do everything that it can to bring a quick end to it, as it firmly believes that in the resolution of this problem, lies its own salvation and that of the entire region.
M Fazal Elahi
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2013.
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