Peshawar, Charsadda will keep happening

E-Paper | March 12, 2026

ARTICLE 25 of our Constitution says all citizens are entitled to equal protection of law. Defying this document, Pakistan deploys more than 30pc of its entire police force to protect and pamper less than 10,000 rich, influential and spoiled individuals. The rest must fend for themselves. As long as the state remains interested only in protecting the lives of 0.005% of its population, Peshawar and Charsadda will keep on happening.

A government that is still looking for evidence against Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa, JeM or LeT, either has a soft corner for militants or is absolutely dysfunctional. Nurturing radical ideologies will only produce more foot-soldiers and facilitators, ever ready to participate in misguided adventures.

There are 20 million guns in the hands of civilians in Pakistan. Unable to protect its citizens, the government has resorted to disbursing yet more weapons. Other than Abdul Sattar Edhi and Malala Yousafzai, not many in this country have taken a public position to demand a complete elimination of guns and the creation of a weapon-free society. The government, the gun-sellers, the licence-makers and the private security agencies all have one common product and one common agenda - to sell fear. ‘Immediate relief’ capsules in the form of Kalashnikovs follow suit.

As long as the state does not understand that peace lies in the elimination and not proliferation of weapons, Peshawar and Charsadda will keep on happening.

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2016

Newspaper

Ill-conceived sense of urban progress

Damaging proposal

Public trust

Seek the Truth.

Jan 27, 2016 01:38pm

Great article, truthful, accurate, brief, to the point. This is the status quo of the State, of the country. "There are 20 million guns in the hands of civilians" says everything that needs to be said, more than all the Law Enforcement Agencies combined, more than the entire populations of many countries. Fear is the way this nation is run, and the 20 million guns are there to make sure this is the only way. We live in dangerous times. How can the state expect any peace internally or externally, if the writer knows this to write so comprehensively surely the state knows much more. So why cannot they be honest.

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Just think

Jan 27, 2016 04:41pm

As mentioned in the above article, fear and intimidation are two qualities that are commonly used as a method of coercion by both State and non State. Political parties of all shades and hue use this so do the L.E.A. Yes, the author of the article is right, most unfortunately, incidents as in Charsadda will keep happening. Yet our leaders think foreigners will come to invest, come here as tourist, come here to see our beautiful land. Without security, without peace we cannot move forward.

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Ash20

Jan 28, 2016 01:16am

Great comments.

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Khan Baba

Jan 28, 2016 07:37am

Was pakistan like this before? Why this happens? UNless we eliminate the root cause of this .... it will keep on happening... And do we know what is the root cause of this....? No one think about this...

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