THE Pakistan government began peace talks with the Taleban hoping to chart a path for negotiations to end insurgency by the militant group. But the talks foundered and the government resorted to airstrikes in parts of militant hide-outs in North Waziristan that killed dozens of militants.

The air raids came in response to the beheading of 23 soldiers by the militant outfit. The Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization having a number of splinter groups, knows no mercy.

They only know how to kill people. Let me quote a teenage would-be suicide bomber who was arrested several years back after he failed to detonate his bombs. Fourteen-year-old Omar Fidayee was sent on a mission to blow himself up.

Identifying his trainer as Qari Zafar, Omar said the last instruction he was given was: “Leave this world and go to heaven.”

Omar said Zafar convinced him to begin a life of militancy, saying all education was useless and telling him “become a fighter and you will go to heaven.”

According to Omar, he was initially recruited on the understanding that he would be smuggled into Afghanistan to kill non-Muslims.

“But they brought me to Dera Ghazi Khan, a city in Pakistan. I told them ‘there are no kafirs (non-believers) here,’” he said.

“They told me these people are worse than kafirs and asked me not to flinch from carrying out the suicide mission even if I have to kill women and children,” Omar said.

This is exactly what is happening these days. Innocent men, women and children are killed by militant outfits in the name of religion although Qur’an says: .”..Whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as though he had killed all of mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.” (Al-Mai’dah 5:32).

The actions of a few people calling themselves Muslims and yet killing others in the name of jihad is a horrendous crime that has sullied Islam’s name.

Pakistan government should not give in to these militants, rather it should fight with them until the scourge of terrorism is eliminated.