There is no respite from terror in the country. This time, terrorists targeted the passengers of a van in Kurram Agency. At least 15 people were killed — including four census workers — and nine others sustained critical injuries when the van hit a roadside landmine in Godar Area of Kurram Agency. There are conflicting reports about the perpetrators of the attack. It has been reported in some sections of the media that the landmine attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JA) — a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban — and by the Islamic State group. What is clear is that this attack is retaliation against the state for the operations it is carrying out against the militants. It seems that in Pakistan we now have a cycle of blood-soaked tragedy. And it would appear the saddest part is that the cycle has become all too familiar. A horrific terrorist attack takes place, the atmosphere becomes sombre and the list of devastated families becomes longer. All regions of Pakistan suffer from this violence, but the people of FATA perhaps bear the heaviest burden of all, being a constant target for such atrocities. In an almost surreal landscape of horror, in many areas of Pakistan people now live in constant fear of bomb blasts and terrorist strikes, adding to their already deep psychological trauma. Although successive military operations have caused a considerable dent in the logistical networks and operational capacity of various terrorist groups, yet the fight is far from over. The terrorist groups have changed their operational patterns — switching to the use of scattered but deadlier attacks. To tackle the threat, security agencies cannot afford to be complacent. Terrorists are applying novel ways of spreading violence by hitting soft targets. After every terror attack, one or the other known militant organisations claims responsibility, there is a great outpouring of national outrage, the authorities condemn it and reiterate their vows to keep fighting terror. And then nothing meaningful happens — unless state-sponsored witch-hunts against various ethnic groups and foreigners are counted. Experience from the world over suggests that fighting terrorism is a professional task — carried out with a scalpel and not an axe. Every incident of terrorism needs to be investigated using modern forensic methods. Security agencies need to carry out a thorough probe into the incident and identify the perpetrators. The hunt for perpetrators needs to be professional and targeted, rather than ham-fisted and tinged with random bigotry against innocent people. An airtight case must be made, and once the perpetrators are in custody a proper judicial process must be followed until they are prosecuted. That would be the only way to deliver justice to those who have reduced the lives of Pakistani people to hellish fear and helplessness. *