Wake up Pakistan, wake up

Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif has announced that the odious Taleban strike at the Army Public School in Peshawar that left the nation devastated would not deter its aggressive operation in North Waziristan to rout militants. He said no one should have any doubt about it, but the stunning attack has put a huge question mark over Islamabad’s anti-terror strategy. First off, if the army was genuinely determined to purge the tribal belt of all local and foreign ultras, the operation — named Zarb-e-Azb — should have been meticulously planned and discreetly launched so that the hardened rebels could not find escape routes to avenge the assault in major cities. Secondly, it was obvious that as a result of the army action, there would be a blowback with the livid terrorists looking for soft targets. The school where the tragedy struck does have a considerable number of children of army men. And the grieving mothers would never forgive the authorities for the lax security that enabled six bloodthirsty armed men to slay innocent children like wanton boys kill flies. Thirdly, Peshawar’s horror — that reminds us of Russia’s Beslan school siege in September 2004 that killed 385 — can also be blamed on the ugly political storm the country has been facing for three months. Calls to paralyze main cities on pre-announced dates and protests led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s Imran Khan have kept the country’s already thinned-out police overworked. Alleged military “games” to “right-size” the Sharif government recently have given rise to, besides Khan, Pakistani-Canadian preacher Tahirul Qadri whose firebrand speeches were followed by senseless violence and deaths as a result of police action. Allegations and counter-allegations in the aftermath and threats to destroy peace by political parties have kept men in uniform on toes. While the 180-million-plus nation was busy enjoying lamentable political attacks in prime-time TV talk shows during the “lull” of terror, the war-trained Taleban were giving their blitz plans final touches. And what was the result? The darkest Tuesday in the history of Pakistani schools! The message that the Taleban have sent out with their abominable act is they mold Islamic teachings to suit their goals. The religion they claim to follow abhors attacking children, women (even trees) during war. When Taleban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani said, “We selected the army’s school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females and we want them to feel the pain,” he actually proved the terror group doesn’t respect their faith. Democrat Hillary Clinton — who has been honest enough to admit that after creating the monster of the Taleban to counter the Soviets in Afghanistan, the US left Pakistan to fend for itself — owes Islamabad an irrevocable pledge that she would include this problem’s permanent solution in her election manifesto. Finally, if the people, the army and the politicians in Pakistan seriously desire to see a militancy-free nation, they have no option other than being on the same page to eliminate this menace. They all have to bite the bullet by burying their differences deep. They should think beyond the politics of vote. The heart-breaking pictures of wailing fathers and mothers of the dead children, one hopes, would wake up the Pakistani voter. If he, in the next elections, fails again to vote to power only those who believe in transparency and probity, only God knows how much longer the nation would bleed.