The election-related violence that has gripped Pakistan in recent months has been horrible to watch. The loss of innocent lives is always a dreadful thing to witness, yet such incidents, especially in South East Asia makes me wonder why they are not publicized in the West as they should be. You won’t find many states that will even acknowledge these deplorable acts, or the blameless victims of this nonsensical violence. I still remember how the world at large reacted to the news of the now famous September 11 attacks, back in 2001. People all around the globe were absolutely shocked by the incident, and an outpouring of grief was observed from almost every country. As a young college student in my native town of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, I was heartbroken about the sad news that hundreds and thousands of people had lost their lives in that horrifying incident and I made my contempt for the actions of the terrorists known every way I knew how, including posting messages of love and unity in online forums. Over the years, I have seen institutions like the UN acknowledge such incidents of violence and seen them offer their support, by providing medical supplies, food, shelter, clothing and financial aid. Many times these organizations have even offered to fight against the factions that are behind such incidents but now a paradigm shift in the world order seems to have taken place, especially in the way countries in the West respond to terrorist incidents in the East. Loss of life is terrible no matter where it takes place, and offers of support are just a small step in helping a specific community recover from such traumatic incidents. However, in order for this to be achieved, there needs to be a greater understanding between the countries in the West and the East. Countries like Pakistan, that have been fighting against extremism for so long, should be supported in this fight, and when extremist forces take their revenge by using suicide bombs, or targeted attacks on public sites, the world should unite in condemning the people behind such acts, and by offering any help they can to the affected people of the country. The media plays a big part in helping this cooperation grow in the future, and hopefully the world can learn to grieve, and celebrate, together. P SENTHIL SARAVANA DURAI Mumbai, India Published in Daily Times, July 19th 2018.