Daily Times

A set of old faces has resurfaced with a new twist to the script. Not long ago, an umbrella of banned sectarian outfits, Difa e Pakistan Council, had excitedly bragged about designs to “cleanse” Pakistan–a land made in the name of Islam–of America and its nefarious influence. Streets were abuzz with the security establishment giving in to their fanfare in a bid to mend bridges despite many of the key leaders enjoying a cushy slot on the terror watch list.

As Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi, a leader of proscribed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama’at, perched atop a grand stage and thundered against the “mummy, daddy, burgers” grilling institutions over the coals, one was forced to wonder whether we, as a country, would ever find the courage to learn from our mistakes. These strategic toys we leave in the sandbox only to fight against the meteoric rise of any political narrative manage to achieve nothing other than adding to its appeal.

One of the biggest youth populations across the world is, certainly, not in the mood to be cowered away by mouthpieces who spew venom in all directions. Yesterday, they wished to throw spanner in the works of Westernisation corrupting the fabric of Pakistani society whilst they threw weight behind the Afghan Taliban. Today, they aspire to restore the credibility of the state and have pointed the barrels of their guns in the direction of “enemies hiding in Afghanistan.”

The very chaos and anarchy they publicly lamented are the unfortunate children of their love affair with the power dynamics. There’s no denying that. There’s no glossing over that. But what remains to be seen is how a government, so adamant on delaying polls in the name of national security challenges, can withstand the re-energised huddling of jihadi groups. Are we, for the millionth time, stuck between good terrorism and bad terrorism? Or, do state institutions believe in carving mountains out of the proverbial molehills in their desperation to run from political battles? *