A changing world
Pakistan had its fair share of unfortunate and completely unnecessary deaths over Eid. Almost a dozen lives were lost owing mostly to motorcycle stunts gone wrong. The police, parents, media, social society, etc, have all tried their fair bit to keep the youth away from such activities. Regretfully, though, it seems most young people are bent upon learning the hard way. But while Pakistan’s tragedy was completely self-inflicted, there were sadder incidents on Eid day and before; some not too far from home.
The villains in Bangladesh had prepared follow-up attacks for Eid. In fact, if it hadn’t been for a small police contingent – at least in one attack – that kept the attackers from a large mass of people, the death toll could have been much higher. These developments mean that the war on terror has, after all these years, also come to Bangladesh. Not everybody is convinced about the role ISIS did or did not play in these attacks. Yet it is pretty clear that Dhaka will have to revamp its security apparatus and prepare for a very different threat than before. If examples, especially in the region, are anything to go by, these militants have mastered the art of ‘death by a thousand cuts’. They keep hitting soft spots and add to their list of successes.
It’s not just this region that will have to pull its socks up. Terrorists, it seems, were out to prove a point this Ramzan; hitting Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan and, of course Bangladesh. Confronting this menace will clearly require a far more coordinated approach than before. Syria is a good example. Some of the world’s most potent militaries have been unloading their hardware over ISIS over there, yet the militant organisation is increasing its international outreach. Despite this long war against terrorism, terrorists have managed to change the world in many ways. And unless the so called free world also improves its game, the threat will become even more difficult to contain.
