The solution is not only in securing our educational institutions but to nip the evil in the bud before it hits us
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: Steel gates installed at school entrances, armed security guards deputed, walls raised and covered with barbed wire, CCTV cameras installed at crucial locations and monitored during school hours, teachers trained in weapon usage, arms distributed among them and other staff, and communication channels identified to contact the police and other law-enforcement agencies in case of an attack on the school — these are the minimum preparations that provincial governments are asking schools, colleges and universities to manage, never mind that these security enhancement costs will have to be paid by the parents at the end of the day.
Today, the Taliban are attacking our educational institutions and we are preparing to face them. What happens tomorrow if they start attacking hospitals, railway and bus stations, shopping centres and markets, and sports stadiums? Can we protect all of these soft targets? Obviously, that is not practical and it’s not going to happen. The solution is to nip the evil in the bud before it hits us. Military installations are protected all over the world, but are we going to convert the schools, universities, hospitals, railway stations and malls into fortresses?
Let’s come out of this on-the-spot fire-fighting mentality and fight the real enemy. If today, education is rejected by the Taliban, then tomorrow it may denounce medical advancements or declare newer modes of communication and transportation as forbidden for whatever absurd reason. There is no end to this madness and we need to address this mindset. It can’t be annihilated by bullets, bombs and drones. We need an alternative narrative to counter the terrorists’ philosophy — but only when we awaken from our deep sleep.
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2016.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
