Terrorists, it seems, have successfully damaged the credibility of our police and the army. People now think, and rightly so, that if they cannot even secure themselves, how can they provide us with the security we need against terrorism. This formulation f thought has had a profound impact on our collective social behaviour. For instance, I went to a market, a Sunday bazaar held by the DHA that is frequented a lot by the citys elite, foreign as well as local. Unlike previous Sundays, todays bazaar was not only half empty, it also looked positively desolate. It had an aura of sadness unmistakably burdened by the guilt of the savage bombing in Meena Bazaar Peshawar that killed 105, mostly women. Many a happy-go-lucky citizens now have to re-think priorities of sociability; a tete-a-tete in markets and crowded public places no longer being an option. Pakistanis are, in a sense, aloof now from their favourite hangouts, bazaars and markets. This will have two major implications for us as a nation, 1) Less economic activity, and 2) No place for Pakistanis to go for recreation among a crowd. In short, lack of social interactions will cause further depression in society and add further stress to businesses. This is something we simply cannot allow to happen. Instead of asking people to stay away from public places, the government should put all our resources to secure our market areas so that at least our collective social activity carries on with out a worry about physical safety. -SEHRISH QADEER, Karachi, November 6.