And our lack of security



Living in an area infested with terrorists is not an easy job. But most of those living in relatively peaceful areas are perhaps less aware of the day to day fear that the people in the frequently terror-hit areas have to face. It is not in the lack of safety of life that this fear becomes a monster, it is in not being able to know the impending doom that hangs like Damocles’ sword over their heads.

A recent suicide attack by a teenager in Bajaur has left 29 dead and many injured after a relative calm of almost two months. Apparently, the terrorists were after the chief of a local security force, who died along with his deputy. Tribal areas for the want of a properly functioning government machinery have to face such incidents, mostly without any payback. The government, besides being the victim of these terror attacks, has also come under severe criticism by the people in handling the security situation. The government on its part is not only strained in terms of the resources it has on its hand and the number of such attacks it has to face, but also because terrorist have improvised their tactics. Moreover the government is spread thin in terms of security apparatus and security personnel. Finances are another issue that needs to be dealt with forthright.

Better equipment, modern training, capacity building, a mandate to tackle the terrorists on their own and government’s backing of the LEAs through proper legislation is what we need on the security front. While the security apparatus can work only as well as it has been trained, the menace of terrorism cannot be ended with security measures alone. Unless the mindset that breeds these militants is changed, we have no chance of pulling this country out of the direction it is currently taking. This is something the political, academic and religious cadres of the country can work towards together.