For all our anti-terror progress, shortcomings persist
COAS Bajwa was spot-on when, commenting on the Parachinar terrorist attack, he said that terrorists will fail in their attempt to regain the lost relevance. That the terrorists are fighting a battle that they are destined to lose in the long-run is beyond doubt. Governments all over the world are gradually realising the need to jointly fight out the deadly menace. A few thousand terrorists motivated by sheer hatred have no chance when countered by the combined strength and determination of humanity. The period of their activity would constitute a glory but small chapter of the history of mankind. The ‘long run’ however can be shortened by the efficient pursuit of anti-terror policies. It can become longer in case of oversights or shortcomings in dealing with the phenomenon of terrorism.
Gen Bajwa’s statement, however would neither discourage the terrorists nor provide relief to the families of the 25 dead in Parachinar and scores lying injured in various hospitals. Parachinar is part of the Kurram Agency where the LeJ has launched several deadly attacks in the past. One had expected that security measures would have been tightened sufficiently to provide protection to the local population which overwhelmingly belongs to the Shia sect. Besides being the stronghold of the Haqqani network once, the Kurrum Agency juts out into three Afghan provinces.
The terrorist who blasted an IED to cause the killings could have been a local or someone who had crossed over from Afghanistan to launch the attack. In the first case this would imply laxity in the local intelligence system. With Kurram having a population of about 500,000 only it should have been possible to monitor potential threats to security all the more so if the NAP had been implemented in letter and spirit in the Agency. In case the terrorist had come from across the border, this would constitute a reflection on the performance of those guarding the Durand Line. The attack once more underlines the need to urgently improve relations with Afghanistan and jointly conduct operations against terrorists of all hues and colours on both sides of the border.
