EDITORIAL: The heart-breaking events of December 16, 2014 have been etched into the nation’s collective consciousness, a day no Pakistani who lived through the barbaric terror attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School (APS) and its devastating aftermath will ever forget. For the families of those martyred and the scores who were grievously injured, this day will forever remain a source of immense pain, grief and trauma.
The 144 deaths, including those of 132 children, serve as a haunting reminder of the unimaginable cruelty that humans are capable of inflicting. In contrast, the individual acts of courage by teachers and students as they tried to protect one another stand as enduring symbols of bravery and sacrifice amidst the indescribable horror.
As the nation marks a decade since that fateful day, we find ourselves once again in the grip of a wave of terror that has left thousands of casualties in its wake in the last few years. This year alone has seen 924 casualties in 1,566 terrorist incidents.
One would have thought that the deadliest terror attack in the country’s history would have marked a turning point in our battle against terrorism, where the Pakistani state resolved to dismantle this monster once and for all, and no longer tolerated elements enabling such violence.
One would have also thought the APS tragedy would have been a wake-up call to society at large, and the acceptance within our social spaces for extremist ideology would have steadily waned. This, very unfortunately, has not come to pass.
The years immediately following the APS attack were marked by some progress, with all stakeholders uniting behind the much-touted National Action Plan and the establishment of the National Counterterrorism Authority. The state intensified its fight against the TTP, dismantling its sanctuaries and significantly reducing terror attacks.
A noticeable decline in violence followed, offering a glimmer of hope. However, despite these gains, momentum in recent years has stalled, and we see a disturbing return of extremist violence, the resurgence of the TTP and other militant outfits — bolstered by the Afghan Taliban re-ascending to power — and the continued tolerance for radical ideologies within society.
The will to confront terror networks has been selective, and powerful actors have continued to prop up dangerous extremist elements whenever it has served their purpose. Meanwhile, our dysfunctional political class has remained engrossed in petty feuds and power games, fostering political turmoil and disunity, instead of addressing the critical task of combating terrorism.
Society, too, has failed in arresting the spread of radical ideology that thrives on division, sectarianism, a lack of tolerance for opposing views and a tendency to resort to violence at the drop of a hat. As a result, the battle against extremism and terrorism remains far from won.
The mechanisms developed to counter terrorism have proved ineffectual in the long run due in large part to a lack of political will and seriousness to implement their provisions in true spirit. And nothing exemplifies this better than the fact that something as vital as ensuring a certain level of state oversight into the affairs of madrassas and their registration has become a political football, with the rulers conveniently using this important matter as a bargaining chip in a bid to pass a contentious piece of legislation.
To compound matters, economic and political deprivation, a pervasive sense of being unheard, an ecosystem of hatred that fosters destructive ideologies, and an inability to craft an effective national counter-narrative to such ideologies have all combined to fuel this troubling situation. We owe it to the martyrs of APS and all other acts of terror to acknowledge these failures, and shoulder the profound responsibility of formulating a resolute response that addresses the root causes of extremism and combats the terror menace effectively.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024