Mardan attack

It is time PML-N and PTI agreed on a plan of action, keeping in mind the horrific attacks by carried out by militants.

The brutal attack on a funeral in Mardan shows that there is no let-up in the senseless spate of violence that has engulfed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) since the May 11 elections. According to a report in The Express Tribune, 26 people were killed and 57 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the midst of hundreds of mourners at a funeral in Shergarh. The attack targeted provincial lawmaker Imran Mohmand, an independent candidate who won from PK-27. Earlier, on June 3, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Farid Khan was shot dead in another militant attack in Hangu. Meanwhile, militant attacks against polio workers, army and the police, have continued not only in K-P but also Balochistan. As the PTI government loses its second lawmaker in three weeks, it faces a serious challenge to its election campaign promise to deal effectively with militancy.



Since coming to power, the provincial government has been facing a deteriorating security situation. Drone attacks following elections — in particular, the one in North Waziristan, which killed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) second-in-command, Waliur Rehman — have exacerbated reprisal militant attacks in the towns and cities of K-P. The intensity of violence over the past few weeks in K-P is sending a clear signal: militants will continue with their attacks. Additionally, the PTI government has its hands tied when it comes to controlling the worsening law and order situation in the province: since militants operate from bases in Fata — which comes under federal jurisdiction — the provincial government cannot deal effectively with the situation on its own.

To improve the situation in K-P, better coordination and planning is needed between the federal and provincial governments. Both the PTI and PML-N, in principle, agree on talks with the Taliban to work towards a peace agreement. It is time that they decided on a plan of action, keeping in mind the horrific attacks that the militants have carried out since they assumed power. The parties need to deal with the reality of the militants’ mindset, reflected through these attacks, in charting out a course to deal with them. For both, the provincial and federal governments, working out a road map for dealing with the Taliban and a clear and comprehensive policy on drones will be a Herculean task.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2013.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.