Daily Times

A new wave of terror has ripped through our society. The fresh violence arrived when miscreants hurled a cracker into a school in Karachi on Tuesday. Still living under the shadow of the Peshawar school tragedy, this latest act of terror has sparked new fears among citizens. The incident shows the vulnerability of our schools at the hands of the terrorists. So far no one has claimed responsibility for this mischief. Pakistan is at war with a hidden enemy. Every citizen is on the hit list of the terrorists. An attack in Karachi is tantamount to an attack on the whole of Pakistan because the city is the backbone of the country’s economy. Due to various complications like its changing demography and the existence of various ethnic groups, the city is an easy target for terrorists to spread anarchy. Obviously it is very difficult for the government to deal with this situation. It needs extraordinary measures and a solid strategy to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. The incident at the school in Karachi is being linked to the execution of two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) activists who were convicted of murdering a doctor on sectarian grounds in Karachi in 2001. They were sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in 2004. After the rejection of their mercy pleas and the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty, both were hanged in Karachi on February 3, 2015. The attack on the school seems to be the backlash of these executions. Already, the curse of terrorism has crippled our economy and now the sectarian killers are following a strategy to make the government seem helpless before their blows. The resurfacing of banned outfits involved in sectarian killings is a matter of grave concern. They want to terrorise society, spread violence and get a free hand to implement their agenda of hatred and intolerance. Sabotaging the spread of education is part of their nefarious designs. The literacy rate is already touching very low levels in Pakistan and such brutal acts are aimed at further discouraging the promotion of knowledge.

The government’s performance in this regard is unsatisfactory. It has failed to ensure the security of educational institutions. Resultantly, the army is again stepping in to play its role for the stability of the country. During the Corps Commanders conference chaired by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, it was resolved to eliminate terrorism, extremism and sectarianism through implementation of the National Action Plan and the Operation Zarb-e-Azb. It is a good sign that the army has come into action to take the miscreants to task. But the extended role of the army in national affairs, where the government should itself ensure its writ, gives rise to some doubts. Our history bears witness to the fact that the army’s role in civil affairs never augured well for civilian governments. A strong resolve is required not only by the army but also the government to get rid of this awful phenomenon. The matter involves huge concern. It is a testing time for the Pakistani government and its citizens. The schools network is so vast that the government alone cannot ensure its security. Every citizen, school administration and the government have to play their due role for the safety of our future generations. There is a need for community mobilisation for promoting the security of educational institutions. Every one of us has to play a role to defeat the agenda of the terrorists. The government should focus on a pre-emptive strategy to eliminate the terrorists and the politicians should stand united on this issue to extend all kinds of support to the law enforcement agencies for the establishment of normality and peace. The curse of sectarianism must be discouraged at all forums. The clerics too should play a responsible role in this regard. Hate speech and actions provoking anger among various sects should be stopped. It must be understood that everyone is a stakeholder for making Pakistan a peaceful, prosperous and developed state. *