Extremists running amuck
With over twelve schools burned to the ground by unknown assailants in Gilgit-Baltistan in one night it is apparent that extremist elements are out of control in the region. Most of the schools were girls-only displaying the level of intolerance and backward thinking still prevalent in a society that remains largely unchecked. Diamer district is no stranger to such incidents with similar attacks having taken place in 2004 and 2011. A Sunni majority area; there have been terrorism incidents against minorities here including an attack where people belonging to a minority on board a bus were made to disembark and were shot dead.
So far it is unclear who is responsible for the attack on the schools but there is no doubt that it was well thought out and planned to have been executed successfully within a few hours. The area commissioner has made a distinction between the attackers and Taliban militants claiming that the latter is not present in the area and the former are merely extremists opposed to female education. Just because the attackers were not part of any terrorist outfit should not serve as a source of relief. They still committed an act of terrorism including attempting to blow up two of the twelve schools in question. A very fine line exists between extremists and terrorists and it is only a matter of time when that transition is made.
While the persons responsible for committing this heinous and cowardly act will be apprehended soon the menace of extremism will continue to face the country unless the government develops the will to take realistic measures to fight it. The PML-N government refused to take tough decisions it was required to under the much touted National Action Plan (NAP) to restrict extremism. Extremist parties like the TLP may not have won a seat in the elections but have emerged as a formidable contender with 4.5% of the national vote not to mention becoming the third largest party in Lahore. These are worrying realities that show how far spread the problem is. What the incoming government does to address this issue head-on remains to be seen.