WHILE the entire worlds focus, for nearly a month, has been on Pakistans predicament in the face of the ravaging record floods, the frequency of terrorist attacks in the country had reduced; in fact, the only noteworthy incident was the death of the Chief of the Frontier Constabulary but that was the time when the severity of the deluge that swept the country afterwards was not being anticipated. But, as the gravity of the misery of the affected population began to sink in, one felt that, perhaps, the militants had decided to take some respite, wishing not to add their share of the trouble. But apparently, no such thought ever crossed the minds of American military strategists. In an attempt at achieving their single-minded objective, in the region, of eliminating terrorists, they remained on the lookout for any suspected sanctuary of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to authorise drones to shoot missiles at them, even if that would result in the deaths of innocent Pakistani civilians. The US unmanned aircraft killed 13 in North Waziristan at the height of the floods on August 14, the Independence Day, disregarding the sensitivities of the Pakistani public. Strangely, the Americans also want to gain their sympathies However, as a backlash of the drones murderous bid, the militants re-emerged from their hideouts and in a suicide attack in Mohmand Agency took the lives of six persons a week later. Misfortunes, as they say, never come alone And that precisely is what is happening to Pakistan. While the difficulty in tackling the situation created by the heavy downpour in some areas more than four times the highest ever recorded and subsequent unprecedented floods is causing widespread destruction and despair, the terrorist phenomenon has reared its head again and is making matters worse. The following incidents occurred in quick succession on Monday: a suicide bombing attack murdered 30 persons, including former MNA Maulana Noor Mohammad, and damaged a mosque; a bomb exploded in a mosque during a jirga in Kurram Agency in which 11 persons died; an ambush on the security forces in Khyber Agency killed seven; and a remote control device killed three members of the peace committee in Peshawar. As if these troubles were not enough, our strategic ally the US flew two drone missions to North Waziristan in which 28 persons, including women and children, died. No doubt, the challenge looks too daunting to overcome. But given the will and dedication, nations have been known to come out successfully even from worse disasters. The need of the hour is for all of us the leadership, in government and outside, as well as the people to join hands and put in the best of our efforts, both in terms of physically and financially helping the compatriots in trouble.