More than 70 people, most of them lawyers, died in the recent bomb attack at a hospital in Quetta, claimed by an obscure group of radical terrorists. There were condemnations, followed by a resolve to avenge the act of terrorism. This resolve is evident across the political spectrum. Everybody, from the clergy to the civil society, is unequivocal in their opposition to terrorism. The society, the government and the state are all united against terrorists, without a shadow of doubt or reservation. But terrorism refuses to fade away.
Organized sectarian terrorism took roots in Pakistan in the late 1980s, while anti-state terrorism started with the inception of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2007. This wave of violence has seen many ups and downs – from the Taliban taking over Swat to them retreating to Afghanistan – and has engulfed the tribal areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and even spread to the urban centers of Karachi, Quetta and Lahore. No institution, city or section of the society has been spared.
Military operations carried out in response have been effective in eliminating terrorist infrastructure. Several of their key leaders have met their Maker or are on the run. Urban terrorist networks have been busted and threatening figures like Malik Ishaq and Riaz Basra are no more. In the tribal areas, territory has been cleared, the training camps are gone, bomb making factories have been razed, and recruitment cycles have been disrupted. Thousands have been sent to jail, hundreds sentenced and dozens executed by hanging. The calm between the attacks has lengthened, but then an event like the Quetta hospital bombing happens, and reminds us that terrorism refuses to fade away.
It is natural, and sadly rather convenient, to loathe terrorism – which is all about bleeding corpses, grieving widows and sobbing children. It involves use of guns, bombs and violence. It creates shock, panic, grief and anger across the society. That anger translates into investigations and executions. Most of these shocking events have been effectively investigated and the culprits brought to book. The people behind the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, the ex-prime minister, the air force bases, and the Army Public School in Peshawar, were swiftly and aggressively dealt with. But terrorism refuses to fade away.
Terrorism does not fade away because its foundations remain. And the foundations of terrorism are rooted in extremism. It is natural to loathe violence, bombs and dead bodies, but ambivalence sets in when it comes to loathing those who feed these venomous vipers. Terrorist groups in Pakistan do not have long life cycles, unlike those in other parts of the world. A suicide bomber is only good for one attack, his handlers for a few, and the plotters maybe little more. In the last decade, dozens of groups have surfaced and eventually wiped off. Their elimination shows the effectiveness of law-enforcement, but their reappearance is linked to the extremism supply line.
Terrorism elicits a clear, unanimous and spontaneous response from the society. A response in the form of condemnation, anger and action. Extremism, on the other, hand elicits a confused and timid response, full of ifs and buts, hows and whens, and this and that. Then comes shifting of blame between tiers of government, institutions, departments and agencies. Any action against extremism is portrayed as an attempt on some group, some school of thought or even the whole faith. A debate ensures on where to start. If you do not have enough money to buy, then you can try to take a loan on the site go24cash.com.
A terrorist becomes target of law enforcement only when he strikes. Before that, he is just an extremist. He might be radicalizing young people, collecting donations, spreading hate, or simply plotting an attack. His recruitment grounds might not be restricted to some radical seminary, but may include universities, his social circle, and preaching group – anybody who cares to listen to his twisted logic. Sadly, there are many takers. They are all around us, and unite against any effort at countering extremism. The people who are so vocal against terrorism hesitate to condemn extremism, and pretend that the link between terrorism and extremism does not exist.
The prime minister’s National Action Plan did envisage countering extremism through legislation on hate speech, terrorist financing, registration of seminaries, dealing with banned organizations and the use of social media for promotion of terrorism. But while there was action on the terrorism front, the problem of extremism – which is the root cause of terrorism – was ignored. The time of decision is on us, and unless the state and the society are unanimous against extremism, the scourge of terrorism is unlikely to fade away.
Download: List of died Persons Bomb Blast in Causality Sandman Prov Hospital Quetta on 8th August 2016
Organized sectarian terrorism took roots in Pakistan in the late 1980s, while anti-state terrorism started with the inception of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2007. This wave of violence has seen many ups and downs – from the Taliban taking over Swat to them retreating to Afghanistan – and has engulfed the tribal areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and even spread to the urban centers of Karachi, Quetta and Lahore. No institution, city or section of the society has been spared.
Military operations carried out in response have been effective in eliminating terrorist infrastructure. Several of their key leaders have met their Maker or are on the run. Urban terrorist networks have been busted and threatening figures like Malik Ishaq and Riaz Basra are no more. In the tribal areas, territory has been cleared, the training camps are gone, bomb making factories have been razed, and recruitment cycles have been disrupted. Thousands have been sent to jail, hundreds sentenced and dozens executed by hanging. The calm between the attacks has lengthened, but then an event like the Quetta hospital bombing happens, and reminds us that terrorism refuses to fade away.
A suicide bomber is only good for one attack
It is natural, and sadly rather convenient, to loathe terrorism – which is all about bleeding corpses, grieving widows and sobbing children. It involves use of guns, bombs and violence. It creates shock, panic, grief and anger across the society. That anger translates into investigations and executions. Most of these shocking events have been effectively investigated and the culprits brought to book. The people behind the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, the ex-prime minister, the air force bases, and the Army Public School in Peshawar, were swiftly and aggressively dealt with. But terrorism refuses to fade away.
Terrorism does not fade away because its foundations remain. And the foundations of terrorism are rooted in extremism. It is natural to loathe violence, bombs and dead bodies, but ambivalence sets in when it comes to loathing those who feed these venomous vipers. Terrorist groups in Pakistan do not have long life cycles, unlike those in other parts of the world. A suicide bomber is only good for one attack, his handlers for a few, and the plotters maybe little more. In the last decade, dozens of groups have surfaced and eventually wiped off. Their elimination shows the effectiveness of law-enforcement, but their reappearance is linked to the extremism supply line.
Terrorism elicits a clear, unanimous and spontaneous response from the society. A response in the form of condemnation, anger and action. Extremism, on the other, hand elicits a confused and timid response, full of ifs and buts, hows and whens, and this and that. Then comes shifting of blame between tiers of government, institutions, departments and agencies. Any action against extremism is portrayed as an attempt on some group, some school of thought or even the whole faith. A debate ensures on where to start. If you do not have enough money to buy, then you can try to take a loan on the site go24cash.com.
A terrorist becomes target of law enforcement only when he strikes. Before that, he is just an extremist. He might be radicalizing young people, collecting donations, spreading hate, or simply plotting an attack. His recruitment grounds might not be restricted to some radical seminary, but may include universities, his social circle, and preaching group – anybody who cares to listen to his twisted logic. Sadly, there are many takers. They are all around us, and unite against any effort at countering extremism. The people who are so vocal against terrorism hesitate to condemn extremism, and pretend that the link between terrorism and extremism does not exist.
The prime minister’s National Action Plan did envisage countering extremism through legislation on hate speech, terrorist financing, registration of seminaries, dealing with banned organizations and the use of social media for promotion of terrorism. But while there was action on the terrorism front, the problem of extremism – which is the root cause of terrorism – was ignored. The time of decision is on us, and unless the state and the society are unanimous against extremism, the scourge of terrorism is unlikely to fade away.
Download: List of died Persons Bomb Blast in Causality Sandman Prov Hospital Quetta on 8th August 2016