A raid the other day in Kala Shah Kaku, a small industrial town on the outskirts of Lahore, resulted in the killing of four terrorists and destroying their hideout. Amongst these killed was the al Qaeda ringleader for this particular operation, aimed at targeting the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Headquarters on The Mall, Lahore. Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada identified him as Abdali of Muridke in a press conference, where the minister revealed that the mastermind leading al Qaeda terrorist operations in the subcontinent is a man called Asif Umer in India. Al Qaeda has responded to the increasing challenge from Islamic State making its presence felt in the region to launch al Qaeda in South Asia. The worrying part of this scenario is the mushrooming of these terrorist operatives in small towns and cities after they have been put on the back foot in their sanctuaries in the tribal areas. It may be recalled that in the past there have been attacks in Lahore on the ISI headquarters and the FIA headquarters, both leading to devastating loss of life and extreme trauma. It was considered almost inevitable that when the terrorists come under pressure in their redoubts in the tribal areas as a result of the military’s full-fledged operations, they would then seek to retaliate in the cities throughout the country. The incident in Kala Shah Kaku would seem to indicate that that day is upon us. It is no secret by now that the outlook of the terrorists is ruthlessly vicious. They are driven by fanatical beliefs to carry out these missions, irrespective of harm to themselves or innocent victims. Initially, one strain of opinion thought that poverty and the financial benefits offered by joining terrorist groups were the motivation. However, recent studies show that this may be too simplistic a view. It is religiously motivated conviction that produces such barbarism. Operation Zarb-e-Azb has uncovered mounds of weapons and explosives from the terrorists’ hideouts in the tribal areas, which were for decades left ‘free’ to host Afghan, local and foreign terrorists. The army has killed 2,700 militants during Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan since June last year, following the deadly attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, and managed to destroy more than 800 terrorist hideouts. As a result of these positive successes, can the future generations hope for a terror-free Pakistan that can then embark on a progressive path on the journey to a modern country in sync with the 21st century? *