Exterminate terrorism

The peoples’ rising firewall against terrorism is a welcome development. Rallies across K-P against the surge in terrorism and the call for exterminating the non-state actors’ nexus is now the pulse of the nation. It is a good omen that the people are taking a stand and making themselves felt on the streets. This negates the impression that people are sympathetic to calls for jihad and are aware of their rights. It also categorically conveys the message that people are sceptical to cross-border interference in Pakistan and do not support militarisation. The mass pouring out of people in multiple regions of K-P, and elsewhere, is a sign of civil society’s conscious decision to nip the terror in the bud.

The K-P province in particular, and the country in general, has witnessed several terrorist incidents. The Peshawar mosque bombing on January 30 was an indication that terror groups are amassing themselves and want to bleed the nation once again. The rallies are calling for a proactive and offensive strategy, wherein the armed forces in collaboration with civil authorities were successful in flushing out the terror elements. But that episode of success seems to be half-lived, as there are sleeping cells and splinter elements all around the country, and the same are in need of being ruthlessly crushed.

While re-devising a new anti-terror strategy, the desire of the people should be upheld. Surveys and public opinion, as well as the mammoth rallies, make it clear that appeasing the terror elements through a carrot is no more an option. They believe in violence, and have not lived up to their pledges of serenity. The country cannot be a safe place to live until and unless this gangrene is taken out from society. Time to value the desire of the masses and exterminate terror through force.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2023.

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