UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the unprecedented rise in terrorist violence in Pakistan, reaffirming the world body’ support for the country in combating terrorism. He was referring to sectarian attacks in Quetta and Swat valley on Thursday wherein at least 117 people died while another 235 got injured; some of them are in critical condition. In Quetta blast, they not only targeted victims, but also the police officers, journalists, media technicians and rescue workers.
So, what next? Should we wait for next blast in some other parts of the country, or do we need to get the support from the world body to combat the menace of terrorism? In my opinion, there is a case for such a support as we are unable to identify, arrest, prosecute and punish the terrorists. Either we are too coward, or perhaps inadvertently supporting them, or totally confused not knowing what to do. As per Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies report, there was a 58 percent rise in sectarian violence last year. The Pandora box of sectarianism was opened by Zia-ul-Haq’s regime for short-lived goals, he was never able to put back the genie back in the bottle.
During 1990s, security agencies tried to control the violence by taking decisive measures against sectarian groups and outfits. But today, the ineffectiveness of security agencies tells some other story — non-seriousness, indifference or a nod to such violence. No government can permit such a brutality to continue against its citizens whether it’s in the name of religion, sect, language or ethnicity. — Masood Khan, Jubail
