When Pakistan’s Army decided to launch an operation in 2009 in Swat to flush out militants from the valley, they vowed not to allow anyone to establish a state within state. Army was successful to an extent and terrorists were driven out of the valley but now it appears that it was a tactical retreat by the militants. Attack on Malala Yousufzai on Oct. 9 proves that all is not well in the valley. This unfortunate attack is an obvious outcome of an incomplete task.
To believe that once the militants were driven out of the valley the area would be safe was a wishful thinking on the part of the military as they should be aware that the Taleban are not limited to Swat valley only. They are there all over the Pakistan. They have already established their writ in the tribal areas and are now threatening the rest of the country.
Is attack on Malala good enough to open our eyes to the dangers the country is facing? Vows, talks, speeches, editorials, articles are not adequate to deal with barbarity and wickedness of the terrorists. Pakistan military, government, politicians, civil society and most importantly Taleban apologists have to wake up. Taleban apologists can no more justify their mindless attacks on innocent citizens of the country as a reaction of drone attacks.
Drone attacks are there only because of the Taleban. Let Taleban seize their activities, stop terrorism, free the people in the tribal areas who are under the occupation of the Taleban for last many years, kick out all the foreigners; drones attacks will stop the very next day.
It is a fight against an ideology whose followers are determined to enforce it at gunpoint. Therefore, our response shall be two-fold — use of state force to undermine the terrorists’ strength and then negate their twisted religious beliefs on ideological front. — Masood Khan, Jubail
