Give peace a chance
Peace in a war torn, militancy hit area is like being on a knife’s edge. A simple wavering on either side could bring it crumbling down. A careful balance, like a tightrope walker does, has to be maintained. Pakistan’s western borders are prone to this very threat. In fact, peace in this region is as much dependent on the security forces as is it on the cross-border attacks carried out by the Taliban and other militants.
The Taliban venturing from across the border have become more daring in the recent past with raids on many Pakistani check posts, causing heavy casualties and equipment loss. Only the other day, check posts in Chitral region were attacked causing the death of 25 security personnel. Though most of these attacks are engineered by Taliban, it is the peace process that has become a victim. Since April – that’s when these cross-border attacks took a new turn – over 75 security personnel have been killed. The much needed peace would never visit these areas when such blatant attacks continue unabated. These attacks are fully planned and carried out tactically, which leads to a suspicion of the Afghan security officials’ connivance in the overall scheme.
Owing to Nato’s pullout from Afghan provinces of Nooristan and Kunar, the terrorists have found new sanctuaries there. The rugged terrain, lack of means of communication, infrastructure, and inadequate security on the Afghan side have made the region safe haven for them. It would be better if Nato and Afghan security officials place stringent measures on the border to avoid a reprisal of such an attack. With the death of Al-Qaeda number 2 Atiyah Abd-al Rahman in a drone strike in North Waziristan, it is high time to put pressure on the remaining terrorists. And this is exactly where the role of Afghan security forces and Nato can prove to be useful. These attacks can easily derail the peace process as has the PM Gilani stressed. Enhanced cooperation, better intelligence sharing, capacity building and more security is what is required if peace is to be given a chance.