Attack on Malala

The cowardly attack on Malala Yousafzai, just a 14-year-old child, is a very strong and a symbolic violent incident as part of the unending blow back that our society continues to bear and sustain at the hands of religious extremists who are extremely upset and frustrated because their creators and mentors are no more willing to support and finance them.
But unfortunately for the state, this change of heart on part of our military and the intelligence setup only encourages and persuades the Islamic militants to indulge in the type of ‘Islamic vigilantism’ that we witnessed in the form of attack on Malala Yousafzai. Since the state is the very source that taught these Islamists the lessons of jihad, it should shed little or no tears when the religious extremists have turned their guns towards the state or anyone that chooses to disagree with the ‘militants’ form of government or religion’.
For all those who are filled with anger and want the perpetrators of this heinous crime to be brought to justice I ask a very simple question. Who allowed the Islamic extremism to creep in our society? Who sponsored Islamic militancy and gave state patronage to jihadists to fight our secret wars? Who partnered CIA using its dollars and weapons to conduct the biggest covert operations ever in this part of the world? Who again rehabilitated Islamic extremism by asking the jihadists to occupy the Kargil Heights and brought upon us the shame of the failed Kargil Operation? And most importantly whose military coup retained and brought to power the mindset of the senior military officers who instead of being held accountable for their military failures were put in the positions of authority? How could we expect from the military leadership that relied on Islamic militancy in failed Kargil Operation of 1999 to give up their beliefs and methods? It was the same leadership which despite retaining the absolute power in one state institution failed to amend blasphemy law in May 2002 when it knee jerked under pressure from protesting Islamists all over the country. It was the same leadership that polarized this society further by mishandling the issue of Lal Masjid in 2007.
The hands that today hold the weapons that fire at innocent girls like Malala Yousafzai are the same hands that were employed by the state to fight our secret war in Kashmir. The generals of that time propagated the brilliance of their military strategy that employed few jihadists to engaged and hold back half a million Indian troops in Kashmir thus jamming and blocking any Indian military designs to challenge us at the Eastern front. Little did the generals know that the same guns will one day be used to kill our innocent daughters.
MUHAMMAD ALI EHSAN
Karachi