A YEAR in which significant progress has been made in the fight against militancy is nearing its end with a grim reminder that the war is far from over — and is far from being conclusively won. The suicide attack in Mardan yesterday on a Nadra office has claimed over 20 lives and injured some 60 people. It is hoped that the injured will be given the best possible medical care and the needs of the families of all victims will be addressed humanely and promptly. The casualties should not become yet more forgotten victims in the fight to save Pakistan. For the state and those whose responsibility it is to keep the country safe, there are some urgent reminders about what is at stake here. Taking the fight to the militants in Fata and ramping up counterterrorism efforts in the major cities through so-called intelligence-based operations was going to leave second-tier targets more vulnerable: smaller cities, soft targets — areas the security and intelligence apparatus may not have prioritised. Therein lies the next great challenge for the state — developing counterterrorism capabilities that are adequate to deal with the evolving terrorist threat.

Unhappily, developing counterterrorism capabilities appears to be the one area that the state — both the military and civilian sides of it — does not consider a priority. While the military leadership does seemingly agitate the issue, there is a basic problem: the perception that the military wants to dominate and lead the effort rather than help the civilian side of the state develop its capabilities and leadership role. But the political government must shoulder a great deal of the blame too. There is a complacency and inertia discernible that is simply unacceptable. The activation of Nacta is a fabled myth; police reforms remain a distant dream; centre-province coordination is mired in politics; and there is a distinct lack of interest in the scientific method when it comes to assembling the tools and personnel to fight terrorism. The arc of insurgencies and terrorism is a well-known one. In the face of overwhelming state power it is initially diminished, only for a gradual regrouping to usually manifest itself and for the threats to evolve and adapt to the state’s responses. To win against terrorism and militancy, the state will need to be ahead of that curve.

There also remains the wider problem: the incubators of hate and extremism where terrorists and militants continue to find sanctuary. The trail of most terrorist incidents like in Mardan yesterday usually leads to financiers, aiders and abettors and sanctuaries that run into a very long, though familiar chain. It is not enough to demand outside action against sanctuaries that are beyond Pakistan’s borders — there must be a sustained effort to ensure that no stripe of militant or terrorist can find aid or safe haven within.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2015