ANOTHER wave of violence is cresting in KP. The past few days have seen multiple attacks that have claimed the lives of a number of security personnel.

On Saturday, eight people, including four policemen and two security officials, were martyred in a suicide blast in North Waziristan. An earlier attack took place in Darazinda, in D.I. Khan district, on Thursday night, when militants stormed a checkpoint and martyred 10 Frontier Constabulary men. The attack, claimed by the banned TTP, was portrayed as ‘revenge’ for a successful operation a day earlier in which nine militants, had been neutralised by security forces, who have stepped up their operations following the resurgence of terrorism.

This is a time when our forces should be highly vigilant and prepared for the enemy to strike from any quarter. They should also take the fight to the enemy with the support of the civilian population residing in hotspots for militant activity, who may be willing to aid the effort as they are weary of the constant violence.

The rising count of security personnel martyred in terrorist attacks has remained a cause of concern. Among those martyred in the recent attacks was a young off-duty cadet, aged only 19, who was slain in an assault on a Lakki Marwat mosque. It has been reported that the young man fought off the terrorists, laying down his life while saving many others in the process.

It is saddening to contemplate the loss of a life so young, and it compels one to ask how many more soldiers we will lose to such dastardly attacks before the state devises a coherent response mechanism to terrorist outfits, which are growing bolder by the day. It has been argued that Pakistan needs a dedicated counterterrorism force to meet terrorists in asymmetric warfare, as its regular forces are trained to fulfil a different responsibility and equipped with a different skillset. The recent spate of violence has highlighted this need further.

Things have lately been tense in the province due to a three-way stand-off between terrorist outfits, the citizenry and security forces. If recurrent incidents of violence are left unchecked, they will further erode people’s confidence in the state and its ability to maintain peace and provide security to its citizens.

The state must, therefore, move immediately and decisively to wrest back control. While doing so, it must consciously avoid taking any action or decision that may antagonise the citizenry and, consequently, create unnecessary hurdles in the implementation of its policy measures.

On the other hand, the civilian leadership of the province must take responsibility for generating a political consensus on how the threat is to be tackled. A concerted effort is needed to rid the country of this menace.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2024