On June 23, 2013, it was reported that nine tourists, including a Chinese American and the rest from Ukraine, China, Slovakia, Lithuania and Nepal, together with their Pakistani guide were gunned down by attackers said to have been dressed as paramilitary Gilgit Scouts. What are we to make of this newest stain on Pakistan’s international image that even in a country where killings, bombings and shootings are a little less than news, has managed to evoke a response of outrage and shock for most, and bewilderment for those trying to get their head around what has happened. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has issued a statement in which it has claimed responsibility for the attack but some people are shaking their heads in scepticism. However, before more talk about hidden hands or regional conspirators comes our way and interferes with our faculties of reason, it would be wise for those responsible for grappling with the issue, including the army, the politicians, the analysts and the media, to try and understand the situation by filling in the gaps in their own analytical understanding of this complex situation that we are in because that is bound to have a bearing on the solution. The problem is of course, one of terrorism and entrenched insurgent elements; multiple factions of Islamist militant groups that come together under the name of the umbrella organisation called the TTP. If the very same organisation’s claim regarding this attack is true, the nature of this recent incident reveals something of pertinence to the essence of the debate on the Taliban issue and therefore must be considered. The Taliban are much more than merely angry, misunderstood, disgruntled tribesmen as we are often led to believe whenever the possibility of negotiating with them is brought up as an alternative. The Taliban are a force to be reckoned with, and they are also terrorists guilty of some of the most heinous acts of terrorism, which include the ruthless murder of hundreds or perhaps thousands of innocent people, just like the foreign tourists killed a few days ago. According to the statement issued by their spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan to the media, this was revenge for the recent killing of one of their commanders, Waliur Rehman, in a drone strike, and their way of sending a message to the international community, including us. But just as a drone strike on Pakistani soil is an affront to our country’s sovereignty, so is the killing of our citizens and foreign visitors alike and then having the audacity to claim responsibility for that crime with a tone of utter self-righteousness. So the question that the government must ask of their intuitive reason on deciding how to tackle the Taliban issue is this: do the Taliban seem like the kind of people who can be reasoned with? And if not so, then what should be our stance keeping in mind the fact that while on the one hand our celebrations of the first democratic transition in the country have only just ended, on the other we find ourselves entertaining the possibility of negotiations with a band of terrorists and their completely unwarranted, unreasonable demands. This incident will take its heaviest toll on the tourism and trekking industry of Pakistan. While our northern areas are home to some of the highest peaks in the world, our valleys have also become ideal grounds of guerilla warfare for the militants. Although the COAS General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has assured the presence of the military in South Waziristan until the law and order situation is stable, the army and the government need to think of a more thorough and long term strategic plan to combat the militant elements that have become entrenched in various parts of the country in addition to the north, including one of the major cities on the southern border, Karachi, to which the Taliban have flocked, hidden amongst the thousands of Internally Displaced Persons, and have made their presence known. The writer is an intern at Daily Times