Daily Times

On Sunday, a bomb blast targetting a military convoy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forced the militancy-ravaged province to once again come to terms with deafening bouts of violence, leaving destruction and chaos in their wake.

Although the entire country suffers from the resurgence of the wave of terrorism, Lucky Marwat and other districts along the Pak-Afghan border seem to have given up to the deadly routine–insurgent bomb attacks and guerrilla raids have become a regular feature in the last few years. This wave of violence has led to a growing sense of fear and uncertainty among the masses, highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive overhaul of the existing counter-terrorism strategy.

Experts have been quick to attribute the roots of this upsurge in terrorism to the bonhomie between the government in Afghanistan and TTP, a globally designated terrorist organization said to have orchestrated the killings of thousands of Pakistanis, both civilians and those among the armed forces. However, any sincere attempt to understand the nexus between thriving militancy would have to trace the whole complex web, taking note of inconsistent government policies, a struggling economy, and a deep-seated militant presence (including sleeper cells and facilitators) in various regions of the country.

Islamabad is in no shape to drag its feet on the issue any longer. It would have to acknowledge how a crippling absence of a cohesive and long-term strategy to combat terrorism has only exacerbated the situation, allowing extremist groups to gain a foothold and carry out deadly attacks with impunity.

The devastating impact of these militant attacks is evident in the staggering loss of lives and the pervasive sense of insecurity that has gripped the nation. Terrorist incidents claimed 70 lives in the month of April alone. While the security forces deserve special recognition for their efforts in combatting militant outfits as a decisive, fine-toothed crackdown led to at least 55 militant deaths and 12 arrests, these successes would remain a work in progress until the government hammers out a comprehensive security framework to protect not just the ordinary Pakistanis but also those standing in the line of fire for the sake of their countrymen.

There is an urgent need for better coordination among law enforcement, intelligence services, and military units to effectively combat the evolving threat landscape and build hope for Pakistan to stem terrorism. *