APS tragedy

December 16 will always be a day of mourning for us Pakistanis. Apart from marking the loss of the country's eastern wing in 1971, the day also witnessed, in 2014, what is undoubtedly the worst terrorist offensive inflicted on the nation: the attack on Army Public School in Peshawar that took the lives of 147 people, including 132 schoolchildren. TTP and the likes apparently avenged Pakistan's involvement in the US-led war on terror by slaughtering school-going minors as part of their nefarious pursuit of bleeding the nation. The barbarism, callousness and genocide marks the worst black day of the nation-state, which keeps on reminding it that the war of existential crisis with the dreaded elements is far from over, and the best way to fight it out is national cohesion and commitment to stand fast against odds.

The resilience, however, that was witnessed after the APS tragedy has led to writing of several protocols in unison. One such resolution is the National Action Plan, which has not only brought the civil and military cadres of society on one page, but also led to a buoyed sense of coordination in policy-making. The commitment to exterminate the terror bases and ensure that abettors are taken out from the midst of social, religious and political shades has gone a long way, and military operations such as Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad have registered new tales of glory in adversity.

As we pay tributes to the fallen minors on this day, it's time to pay homage to the brave men who went down fighting the terror nexus, especially in the remote and restive areas bordering Afghanistan. A decade down the line what has changed is the regional environment around us, but the commitment to fighting terror is still a writing on the wall. The incursions of TTP from across the western frontiers and the pestering lawlessness in K-P and Balochistan highlights the stark reality that much more needs to be done. More foolproof coordination is desired to win the war. Only then can we feel consoled before the lost angels of the fateful day.