Daily Times

Pakistan seems to have become the ultimate sandbox for a basket of militant organisations.

Ever since President Asif Asli Zardari and COAS General Asim Munir attended the funeral prayers of two officers martyred in North Waziristan last Sunday, we have seen terrorists tear through high-security installations in Gwadar, targetting convoys in Dera Ismail Khan, launch an unprecedented attack on a navy base in Turbat and perhaps, to ensure their message got duly received, rammed into a bus carrying five Chinese nationals on Karakoram highway. It is incredibly easy to reduce these tragedies to mere tallymarks in times of immense human suffering. But while the loss of even a single human life, civilian or armed forces, is unbearable, any episode involving foreign nationals, especially in a country notorious for its shambolic security, becomes a double whammy hit. Quite expectedly, many in the international community have joined China in its demand for answers. With the Dasu dam project suspended, cabinet members personally visiting the Chinese embassy to offer condolences and reassure the diplomat of his people’s security and condemnations pouring in from all corners, Islamabad would most likely announce a key development in this regard in another news cycle or so.

Unfortunately, a knee-jerk reaction to a sensitive situation does not amount to a comprehensive strategy that addresses the root causes of extremism and eliminates terrorist networks. Considering how our distress calls to Afghanistan keep falling on deaf ears, there is no point in waiting for external forces or some miraculous intervention to tackle the scourge of terrorism. The brutal and senseless violence spree that has taken place has brought to the forefront the issue of terrorism and the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to combat it. It is not just the victims and their families that suffer whenever a sinister organisation decides to play to the cheap seats. The resulting fear and uncertainty pull back every Pakistani from going about his routine and those sitting outside to even thinking over the idea of investing in the country. Have we already forgotten the bloodbath of the 2010s when families would say a quick farewell every time someone needed to step outside?

The best way forward would be for the state to waste no time and use the necessary means to carry out thorough investigations of the sleeper cells and the underlying network that allows these men to slip through unnoticed. Dismantling of militant sanctuaries and the severing of all ties with terrorist organizations requires strong political will, effective coordination between law enforcement agencies, and the cooperation of the international community. The time has come for Pakistan to once again take control of its destiny and forge a path towards peace, stability, and prosperity. Both Islamabad and Rawalpindi are well aware of the two-pronged goal: securing the lives of Pakistanis by preventing these attacks in the first place on top of stopping militants from creating sanctuaries across the border. *