Kamran Shafi - Senior Columnist

It seems to me that the armed forces are serious this time to root out the evil, judging from the number of drone strikes which have been known to take out the most vicious of the terrorists in the past.

The problem is the 'commanders' of the terrorists who are said to have escaped into Afghanistan. The Afghan and ISAF forces must be co-opted in the fight to block and hit them on the other side: what is known as the ‘hammer and anvil’ tactics.

The factors most important to the operation’s success are the elimination of cruel and heartless 'leaders of the faithful' like Fazlullah, Muslim Khan and others of their ilk. Why not Mullah Omar himself, the Emir of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Pakistan! Remember that the TTP have called him their Ultimate Leader!

Opinion

Editorial

The heat ahead
Updated 31 May, 2026

The heat ahead

Planning for hotter conditions is increasingly becoming a question of public health, economic resilience and public safety.
Dimming hopes
31 May, 2026

Dimming hopes

THE National Assembly opposition leader’s recent warning should give the ruling parties some pause. Once again, ...
No Tobacco Day
31 May, 2026

No Tobacco Day

THIS year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, announced by the WHO last October, is ‘Unmasking the appeal —...
Diplomatic resolve
Updated 30 May, 2026

Diplomatic resolve

Iran, too, must engage seriously and provide credible assurances about its nuclear programme if it wants sanctions relief and a more stable relationship with the outside world.
Weaponising water
30 May, 2026

Weaponising water

CLIMATE Minister Musadik Malik’s warning against what he described as “water aggression” indicates ...
Rabies toll
30 May, 2026

Rabies toll

EVERY year, rabies, the deadliest zoonotic disease, kills more than 59,000 people worldwide. In Pakistan, it is one...