GIVEN this country’s long-drawn-out and bloody engagement with militancy and terrorism, and given the lessons dictated by the mass slaughter of the most vulnerable, it would have been reasonable to expect that at least at some levels of state and society standard operating procedures would have been developed.

But judging by the chaos vis-à-vis educational institutions in large parts of the country — specifically Punjab, the Islamabad Capital Territory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi — that was seen in the past few days, this would not seem to be the case.

In the wake of the atrocity unleashed on Charsadda’s Bacha Khan University and the subsequent statement given out by the banned TTP, the level of insecurity had been very high.

Earlier during the week, it had been announced that schools in Punjab would remain closed for the few remaining days of the month on account of the cold snap. But that decision, endlessly circulated and breathlessly speculated upon as it was by the electronic media (helped in no small part by the social media) seems to have set off a domino effect.

By Wednesday, an as yet unknown number of institutions (both public and private) had been closed.

The decision that same day that Army Public schools and Bahria colleges would also be closed fuelled the panic, with even more institutions barring their gates. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of parents and guardians were left asking questions to which no answers have been forthcoming from any level of governance.

Were the closures indefinite? Was the risk so clear and immediate? What was the state doing to ensure that another institution was not targeted? Dismayingly enough, the government remained silent; there were no words to quell the panic, no expression of purpose about militancy, no policy statement about security.

In short, the state completely and shamefully abdicated its responsibility, both in terms of fostering a better security situation and in allaying the fears of an anxious citizenry.

If, as Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar stated yesterday, “Pakistan is losing the psychological war against terror”, then the unconscionable silence of state authority in the face of turmoil has had a significant part to play.

Urgently needed now is renewed resolve to improve security conditions in the country and to protect institutes of learning.

The guidelines issued after the Army Public School massacre on Dec 16, 2014 need to be revisited; and while the resources of the state have their limits, institutions nevertheless need to be provided with all the help they need to fortify themselves in the face of the ugly twist that the war against militancy has taken.

In the larger picture, it has to be recognised that this conflict is already levying an unbearable cost on the country’s future — the latter will not have a chance unless the very roots of militancy are weeded out.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2016