Targeting schools

Taliban bombing not just girls’ schools but boys’ too shows they are against the enlightenment of society.

The blowing up of schools in Fata has assumed such a humdrum regularity that these hideous incidents barely serve to shock us anymore. But the atrocious blowing up of two government schools in Mohmand Agency is indicative not only of the military strength of the Taliban but also of the group’s ideological drive. The fact that no life was taken in the blast may lull us into a false sense of security, but it is important to remember that 60 educational institutions have been destroyed by the Taliban in Mohmand Agency alone. In many ways, these attacks on state institutions are more harmful to the state than outright attacks on the lives of citizens. The children who have been deprived of these schools – already the victims of a long-drawn war which has destroyed the social fabric – now have no chance of a normal life. That the Taliban are bombing not just girls’ schools but boys’ too, shows that it is not only the empowerment of women they are against, but also the enlightenment of society. The Taliban are not just making an ideological statement but transforming their backward vision of society into a reality, making it even easier for the Taliban to win local supporters. Herein lies the crux of the Taliban’s triumph. Every school that is destroyed is a manifest success for the Taliban because it cuts hundreds of children off from socialisation.

One can rail against the government in vain — with scarce resources, it is impossible to protect the hundreds of schools in the agency against attacks. As it is, troops are stretched in fighting the Taliban. The only viable option is to deploy funds into rebuilding schools in the area. This may seem quixotic, but would send out a strong signal to the Taliban of the state’s commitment to its citizens. More than anything else, it would give the children of Fata some semblance of a normal life.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2010.