The recent attack on a bus in Karachi carrying members of a minority community is indeed condemnable. The attack elicited strange response from so-called liberal intellectuals. So after the sad incident, they started raising a hue and cry over the protection of minorities in Pakistan. They tend to ignore the fact that Pakistan is facing the problem of terrorism. It is not just members of the minority communities who are unsafe. Everybody is exposed to the threat of terrorism. Such incidents really expose people who in the garb of liberalism never miss an opportunity to spit venom against Pakistan. My question to these so-called intellectuals is: Who is safe in the country?

We are at war with terrorists. In a state of war, these terrorists can strike anywhere and target anybody they want. Instead of attacking the state for not “protecting” the minorities, these intellectuals should try to come up with ideas to counter extremism. It has become fashionable to criticize Pakistan in the wake of such incidents to gain international acclaim. Resorting to these cheap tactics is not very productive. This shows that these elements are not sincere with the country. They just wish to gain popularity abroad by portraying themselves as rights activists. What do they have to say about the attack on the army-run school in Peshawar and other similar incidents?

Our country is going through a rough patch. Instead of passing the buck to this guy or that guy, we should focus on ways to rid the country of the scourge of extremism. I don’t see much of a difference between terrorists and these pseudo-intellectuals except for the shining educational degrees the latter possess. Both elements are extremists in their approach.