Act of disgrace

It is obvious that militants have no intention of ending the terror they have inflicted on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

It is obvious that the militants have no intention of ending the kind of terror they have inflicted for years on the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is obvious too that they are willing to sink to new depths and ignore every rule of human decency and honour. Monday’s attack in Peshawar on the sister of Asfandyar Wali targeted a person who has no known involvement with decision-making or even a role within the structure of the ANP. While the killing of party office-bearers or representatives can obviously not in any way be justified, it is even worse to target their relatives, who in most cases have little security cover or protection from the assailants. Fortunately, the victim in this case escaped death. Others have not been as fortunate.

They included the son of information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, shot dead metres outside his home. His father’s enormous courage in continuing to deliver his strong message against the Taliban should convey to the brutal killers produced by our country that people will not so easily bow down before them. These targeted attacks on ANP leaders and their families should not deter the party from stongly prosecuting police and military action against the militants. The Taliban are seeking to break the will of the ANP and to bow down now would hand them a victory we can ill-afford. What this, and other similar attacks in the last few weeks have shown, is that there is no room for negotiations with a foe that has no respect for human life.

For a group that claims it is motivated by religious zeal, it is ironic that the Taliban or their allies attacked a woman. In the past there have been claims from their well-wishers that they will never resort to this. Such conjecture followed the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto with many stating that the Taliban, ‘as men of honour’, would refrain from killing her. This belief has persisted despite the numerous acts of violence committed against women in the conflict zone. The latest attack may signal a growing desperation. Perhaps relatives are being picked out because the militants lack the capacity to reach the politicians and other officials whom they see as their enemies. They seek instead to punish them by targeting family members or others affiliated with them.  Somehow they needed to be prevented from striking again on the streets of Peshawar or elsewhere.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2010.