Defeating terrorism
The sitting governments all over the world suffer from disadvantage of incumbency. There are always elements within the intelligentsia, political commentators and media who do not miss any opportunity to take a swipe at the government and its policies, no matter whether they are good or bad. They invariably try to portray them in the most dismal colours and sometimes these attempts descend into the realm of an unremitting cynicism. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is more pronounced, tinged with partisan hue and myopic view of the situation in our land of the pure. The case in point is the war being waged against the terrorists by the government and the aftermath of dastardly attacks like APS and the Charsadda University by the former.
Even the most stone-hearted person cannot deny the pain and agony that the nation goes through when such attacks are enacted by these barbarians, particularly the parents of the children who are murdered in the cold blood. Unfortunately, that is the price which our nation will have to endure as long as the fight against terrorism is taken to its logical end. The terrorists will continue to hit targets which in their view can cause more sufferings and have demoralising impact on the masses. That is not to say that there is no need to beef up security of the educational institutions and other likely targets of the terrorists but to emphasise the fact that the phenomenon of terrorism, especially the one ideologically motivated, is undoubtedly going to take a long time to be subdued and requires an unflinching commitment of the whole nation in quelling it, unruffled by the sacrifices that will have to be made along the way. The history of terrorism in different countries of the world testifies to this bitter reality. It is an enduring war against an invisible enemy. Even the most developed countries having state of the art technologies, military prowess and sophisticated intelligence paraphernalia have not been able to prevent the occurrence of such incidents nor have been able to eliminate terrorism at once.
The government, security establishment and our security agencies that are engaged in the crusade against the scourge of terrorism are sparing no effort in dealing with it. Simultaneously, efforts are also being made to provide security to the vulnerable points to the possible extent. For somebody to say that the success stories narrated by the government against the terrorists and steps taken to boost the morale of the nation by creating media hype have proven to be counter-productive; the nation cannot mourn anymore and there is no glory in seeing young lives being cut off in their prime which is not a sacrifice but suffering and shame, represents travesty of truth. Actually it is a matter of shame that we have such elements amongst us for whom even white is black. The success of the terrorists in carrying out such attacks, though very painful for the people affected by it as well as the entire society, but there is an impregnable unity among the nation in regards to elimination of terrorism and not to shy away from any sacrifice to secure the future of the posterity. To describe the lives sacrificed in such attacks shame is simply outrageous and an insult to the genius and aspirations of the nation.
In war situations it is very essential to boost the morale of the nation because the wars are won or lost on the basis of the morale of the masses and the strength that it imparts to those who are actually engaged in the war. That exercise is usually executed through media which represents the society in the state. Informing the people about the success stories and achievements of the government and the security establishment, invariably forms an indispensable ingredient of the strategies of the states to keep the morale of the people rock-solid and winning their support for achieving the objectives of the war successfully. It is not only obligatory on the government to keep the people informed and in good stead but also the right of the people to be kept in picture about the progress of the war.
Only people out of their mind can deny the success of operation Zarb-e-Azb in dismantling the network and infrastructure of the terrorists in North Waziristan and sending them on the run as well as the success stories in regards to the implementation of the National Action Plan. The combination of these complimentary initiatives by the government and the security establishment has achieved tremendous success and the overall security situation in the country has definitely improved. These are not mere claims as their authenticity has been acknowledged at the international level.
The nation has its sympathies with the affected families and shares the pain and grief that has been inflicted on them by the terrorists. Nobody should have any doubt about it. Their martyrdoms and sacrifices will always be remembered. And God willing, inspired by those sacrifices and the strength that they have lent to determination of the government, security establishment and the society, we as a nation will ultimately succeed in our mission. Those who think otherwise will have to eat dust.
