Another attack

Holistic approaches needed
The forces of darkness strike again. The Landi Kotal bomb blast death count has increased to 27. Many more are injured. This has only been the most recent incident in a spate of violence that the north-west has been seeing of late.
It is easy to pretend one can find order and patterns in these attacks. But the sheer entropy that comes with dealing with the hydraheaded monster of terrorism makes it difficult to manage. When such incidents increase, governments the world over attribute them to the last fighting flickers of desperation by a decimated enemy. There not being such incidents is, of course, interpreted in a straight manner and is attributed to success as well. Some defence analysts actually go on to call specific incidents of terror the result of particular government decisions and even policy statements. All that is ridiculous. There are enabling environments within a country that let the terrorists associate and do their thing. Pockets within the tribal areas are enabling environments. In the case of the attack from the day before, the Khyber Agency itself is an enabling environment. True, not as much of an international jihadists’ supermarket the way the Waziristans are but the agency is rife with the presence and control of militant groups. Almost the entire Tirah valley, for instance, is under the control of either the TTP or the Lashkar-e-Islami or the Ansar-ul-Islam.
The West sees this state of affairs and measures us against our performance in the war on terror. We have a scarce few solid, sustained victories to show for ourselves.
On the other hand, however, the Western powers are also making things tough for Pakistan. Consider, for instance, the TTP’s intention to disallow polio vaccination campaigns in the region that is controlled. Though the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction has linked the resumption with an end to drone strikes in particular, it is still clear that the Dr Shakil Afridi episode, its modus operandi in particular, has compromised the safety and success of such public health initiatives and more. It would help the Americans themselves if they gave more thought to the aftermath of the conflict around us.
Both sides have to meet each other half-way.