Deadly proposition
Terror graph is on the rise, and has come back to haunt at a moment when chips are down for Pakistan. Statistics compiled by a think tank, PICSS, point out that August 2023 was one of the deadliest months in terms of terror attacks in a decade. There were 99 attacks countrywide, which claimed more than 112 civil and military lives, apart from destruction to an intangible mosaic. The highest number of deadly incidents are the largest in a month since November 2014, and do not include many more claimed by the TTP that account for a staggering 147. Those were not included as they lacked credible data, but it goes without saying that the successes attained in the wake of successful onslaught in War on Terror are unfortunately slipping out of hand, and the re-emergence of non-state actors has come as an existential challenge.
This is a moment of some deep introspection, and to get real. We have blinked somewhere, and our compassionate policy with reference to our civil-strife shattered western neighbour is proving to be a nightmare. Likewise, the apparent lowering of vigil in the ex-Fata areas bordering Afghanistan, and the tendency to appease religio-political quarters is costing us too dearly. What is instantly needed is a mopping operation inside Pakistan’s vulnerable hotspots, and to cleanse the areas from militants and their abettors. This is where resource to the National Action Plan is a must, and all those elements that were put at the backburner for reasons of strategic and political exigency should be invoked to exterminate terrorism.
The 83% increase in fissures as compared to the month of July simply points out that disgruntled actors are regrouping, and perhaps out of our sight. The military and police have done a commendable job, and have fought them with utmost resilience. They need to be buckled up with all kinds of resources, and a zero-tolerance strategy executed to take them out. Terror, coupled with political and economic instability, is a prescription of decay and devastation. Stem it before it gets too late.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2023.
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