To use Islam, a religion of peace, as a pretext to execute deadly suicide attacks that cause the death of innocent people, including children, is barbaric and inexcusable. It is hard to fathom that a Muslim would be so insensitive to go so far in a blatant disregard for even the timing of accomplishing his already ruthless designs. The suicide hit that claimed the lives of ANP leader Hanif Jadoon, his 14-year-old-son and his guard, while injuring seven others in the Swabi area, cannot be condemned enough. Their vehicle was attacked while they were returning after offering Eid prayers. This attack is merely a reflection of the ruthless mentality of the jihadi extremists and is evident from the fact that they did not even spare a holy day of celebration to turn it into a day of mourning. These people actually have no religion and no morality. The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjacent FATA has the greatest infestation of jihadi extremism. It is not surprising therefore that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been subjected to these kinds of attacks over the years. The ANP is a Pakhtun nationalist party known for its vehement opposition to terrorism. For that it has earned the ire of the terrorists and is thus an obvious target of their enmity. The party has been at the receiving end of such attacks on several occasions and there is a pattern emerging, like with the attack on ANP minister Mian Iftikhar that killed his son and the assassination attempt on Asfandyar Wali, the chief of the party. Such attempts to decapitate the party have been frequent but unsuccessful in breaking its resolve to fight terrorism. The persistent occurrence of these attacks is owed to the continuance of the military’s dual policies with regard to the extremists. This ambiguity in the role of the military in tackling the extremists does little to allay the concerns of the people. Has the military given up playing double games and decided to meet this challenge head-on? With some militants having left the tribal areas to cross into Afghanistan, it seems that the problem has only been displaced and not yet completely resolved. All the FATA Agencies on the Pak-Afghan border are still hotbeds of extremism. Unless the problem is solved at its core, the situation will only be reproduced and worsen. This will not only prove dangerous for those living there but for all of us who will continue to bear the brunt of a situation still out of control. g