Daily Times

Sir: Balochistan bleeds once again. The Mastung terror attack took place at a time when the state was busy projecting itself as a self-proclaimed victor in the War on Terror.

It took non-state actors only one week to make a mockery of these mighty claims and mounting assurances of curbing terrorism. In effect, we have been brought back to square one.The Mustang blast-targeted a political gathering and killed 128 people. Hundreds were left injured.

There have also been terrorist attacks in other parts of the country during the previous week, including one in Peshawar which resulted in the death of Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour. It is obvious that Pakistan’s enemies are engaged in attempts to destabilize the country. This could be the bloody beginning of another violent terror campaign.

Unless things dramatically change this time around, who knows what news the media could bring us next? In all likelihood, an all-out upsurge will make life difficult for terrorists in every nook and cranny of the country in the coming few days. As always, the authorities will attempt to dissuade our fears by promising they won’t rest until each and every terrorist is dealt with. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

To maintain lasting peace, long-term solutions must be pursued. The concerned quarters must rise to the occasion and should adopt policies which are evenly poised and take on all militant groups without sparing any ‘favourites’. We already know what happens when favourites turn against us. Unfortunately all we have learnt from history is that Pakistan doesn’t learn from history.

VASDEV HAMNANI

Tharparkar

Published in Daily Times, July 16^th 2018.