Blast in Peshawar

Over the last few years, it looked as if the government had made some progress in the fight against militancy, taking back areas ruled by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and overseeing a slight reduction in the number of terrorist attacks in major urban areas. These gains now seem increasingly illusory. The TTP have managed to take over Tirah Valley, which is located perilously close to Peshawar and are making a comeback in areas such as Swat and Dir, which had previously been declared cleansed of militants. On top of that, there has been a resurgence of violence in Peshawar, with the latest example being the suicide attack targeting an FC commander. The blast claimed 12 lives while the commander, Abdul Majeed Marwat, escaped with minor injuries. Not that they had ever gone away, but the Taliban now seem to be as strong as ever.

The timing of this resurgence is particularly worrying, coming as it does with the elections just over a month away. The TTP has always been particularly keen on targeting politicians from the ANP and the PPP. The threat is now so severe that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had to fly out of the country. In such a climate, both parties will likely be fearful of holding large rallies as they can possibly attract TTP assault. This essentially puts the two parties and their candidates at a severe disadvantage as they will be unable to campaign with the same intensity as their opponents from political parties that have not earned the wrath of the Taliban. The effect of this threat has been to move the public debate away from methods of militarily defeating the Taliban to endorsing peace talks with an enemy that has never been sincere about negotiations.

As the Peshawar attack shows, law-enforcement officials are also going to be in the crosshairs. Although we frequently criticise the police and the military for failing to prevent attacks, and usually rightly so, it is also incumbent upon us to recognise the tremendous sacrifices they have made to fight militancy. Law-enforcement officials are at the frontlines of the war against terror, frequently losing their lives in attacks on check posts. They are willing to risk their lives for terrible pay and uncertain benefits, simply to try and keep us a bit safer.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2013.