The heaviest burden some shoulders must carry is that of other souls. While pursuing my undergraduate degree at the University of Edinburgh, I had the privilege of meeting Dame Stella Rimington, the first (former) female Director General of MI5- Britain’s counter-intelligence and security agency. Judi Dench’s role as ‘M’ in the famous James Bond movies was inspired by her. Prior to Dench’s appearance only male actors had played the role. Having pursued English Literature at the University of Edinburgh herself, Dame Rimington was invited to speak to us about our career options. She recalled for us the wondrous twists and turns in life which brought her to MI5. She couldn’t disclose much about her time at the secret agency but she did tell us the most difficult moment in her career. As the Director General she had to inform the Prime Minister of any urgent threats faced by the nation. One day she walked into the Prime Minister’s office and said: “Prime Minister an attack will take place. We don’t know when or how. But we know it will.” The Prime Minister turned around and replied: “Stella, do what you do best”. That, Dame Rimington said, was the most memorable moment in her career, because she knew her next move would be the reason someone lived or dead. Whenever terrorist attacks occur in Pakistan it is the gravity of Stella Rimington’s words which always come to my mind. It is very easy to criticize the shortcomings of our security agencies. And there are obvious reasons for this. This month marks the third anniversary of the army public school massacre. That horrific day, police, army, ISI, IB, all security forces and agencies in Pakistan failed a hundred and thirty two children. December 16th will forever be a black day in our nation’s history. But while we rightly criticize the failure of our armed forces, we must also recognize the enormity of the task set before them and thus applaud their endeavor. The deaths of those children will forever haunt our soldiers. It will haunt them more than you and I, the average Pakistani who watched the horror unfold on television. Our men in uniforms will always remember that they should have saved those little innocent souls, but couldn’t. Repeatedly quoting the number of lives lost we rightly condemned their failure. But did we once stop to ask the number of children who walked out of that school alive because our armed forces arrived and killed those six sadistic terrorists? Preventing a terrorist attack is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. The US continuously demands that we ‘do more’. But Islamist terrorism is not simply an act; it is an ideology that even the mighty America has failed to defeat The media needs to cover the success of our law enforcement agencies in as much depth as it covers their failures. Days ahead of Christmas, on December 17th, the attack on a church in Quetta left nine dead and over fifty injured, terrorizing the Christian community. Condemnations suitably poured in from politicians and the public alike on social media. Talk shows unpacked the tragedy playing a game of pin the blame. However, three days later a suicide attack on Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai was foiled by security forces. The story was reported, but there was very little applause. The media needs to highlight the valour of an officer in as much detail as the horror of a terrorist attack. Mourning the victims and condemning the attack is important, but so is recognizing the small victories in an ongoing war. Why not interview the man who walked into work knowing today may be his last? Why not thank him for saving the life of Governor Balochistan and those who were accompanying him? We continuously find ourselves focusing on the most negative aspects of any situation. There is no denying that Pakistan is still a nation continuously plagued by the threat of terrorism. Innocent men, women, and children continue to be involuntary martyrs of the war we are fighting. But all is not lost. The worst has passed. If only we chose to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. Incidents of terrorism do continue to occur across Pakistan. However, there has been a drastic decline in the fatalities. According to data gathered by the South Asian Anti-Terrorism portal 3001 civilian deaths occurred as a result of terrorist activities in 2013. This year, till 17th December, the number stands at 530. That is approximately an 82 percent decrease in terrorism related fatalities. Furthermore, if we look at the bigger picture by comparing ourselves to other countries, things may not seem as bleak. According to a report compiled by the US Department of State on global terrorism for 2016, Pakistan ranked fourth in a list of countries with the most terrorist attacks. India gained third position with 927 attacks while we suffered 734 attacks. Turkey saw a 17 percent increase in terrorism, while terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia increased by 129 percent. Yet we are recognized as the hub of terrorism — not India, Turkey or Saudi Arabia. The days of Osama bin Laden are over, but as a nation we have failed to change the things we tell the world about ourselves. It is time to positively view the situation our nation finds itself in. Preventing a terrorist attack is a kin to searching for a needle in a haystack. The US continuously threatens us to ‘do more’. But terrorism is not simply an act; it is an ideology that even the United States of America has failed to defeat. Despite being an economic superpower with one of the best intelligence agencies in the world, they failed to prevent Omar Marten from killing 49 people and wounding over 59 others in Orlando. Thus, while we must condemn every terrorist attack on our soil, it is time to stop downplaying the achievements of our armed forces. In the words of renowned writer Ernest Hemingway, ‘now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.’ It’s time to see the glass as half full. The writer has a master’s in media with a distinction from the London School of Economics. She tweets @mawish_m Published in Daily Times, December 26th 2017.