It has become a signature of the militants to blow up and destroy public infrastructure and deny the locals of the area with the basic needs. The blowing up of schools, hospitals, bridges and police stations has been a common occurrence in these conflict areas.
According to some reports a total of 74 schools have been blown up in the tribal areas in the recent months. Similarly, the gas pipelines have also been the favourite targets of the militants in Balochistan. All of these are soft targets which the terrorists attack to instil fear. The blowing up of such infrastructure does not hinder the security forces or is of much strategic importance, but these activities only cause problems to the innocent people who are being pulled into this conflict.
HASSAN BASHIR
Islamabad
