Now Lakki Marwat

Back-to-back terror attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa simply confirm that terrorists are operating scot-free, and all efforts on the part of the state apparatus to stem the rising tide of terrorism are reactionary in essence. The killing of nine people, including two policemen, in Lakki Marwat, and the attack on a military camp in North Waziristan add the growing list of atrocities being committed by the terrorists. Four soldiers were martyred, whereas dozens are being treated for the blast in Lakki's Serai Naurang tehsil. These incidents have come just two days after a bloodshed in Bannu, apart from many other smaller-scale casualties reported on a daily basis.

The people of K-P and Balochistan are primarily on the receiving end. It goes without saying that the country is infected with a severe governance crisis and a lack of strategy to prevail over disgruntled elements. This warrants a realigned focus and a strategic shift toward aggressively targeting unscrupulous actors. The geographic junction of Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan and Bannu – which has been a theatre of mayhem for quite some time, mainly due to unchecked intrusions from across the western frontier – necessitates astute monitoring and greater coordination between the civil-military and community elders.

The Foreign Office's decision to summon the Afghan Deputy Head of Mission and serve a demarche was a much-needed step. But this should not stop here. Such reminders in the past have fallen on the deaf ears of Kabul. The reclusive regime – apparently obsessed with a power-intoxicated approach – has fallen back on international commitments, breached the Doha and Urumqi accords, and is seen openly pampering the terror nexus for political considerations. The least that the Afghan authorities can do is to cooperate with Pakistan, undertake a verifiable probe into the upheavals and sincerely go for exterminating the gangrene. These are altogether desired for the security and survival of the Afghans as well.