Pakistani politicians and media have been questioning the wisdom of a statement made by Imran Khan in public which was considered to be a state secret. In a recent interview, Khan said that he was informed by ex-Army Chief, Pervez Kayani, in Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif’s presence that if the army attacked the terrorists hideouts in North Waziristan the success rate of such an operation would only be 40%. It’s obvious that an Army chief knows the strength of its forces. There were many factors involved while giving this statement such as the area and its accessibility, movement of heavy arms and the movement of our troops. Khan should not be expected to boost our army’s morale. After the backlash in the parliament and media, there are now hosts of interpretations of what ex-Army chief informed Khan such as Kayani was talking about success rate in the entire country, or Kayani did not have high hopes for the operation. Regardless of these interpretations, whatever way we see this private dialogue among Nawaz, Kayani and Khan, one thing is sure – an attack on North Waziristan is not the solution – it’s too late. Taliban have become deeply entrenched all over the country. They are now in all big cities such as Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta, Islamabad and many others. They enjoy an in-built support mechanism from religious and sectarian parties, they have hideouts in slums, shanty towns, seminaries, even in universities hostels. They are already on the offensive, as is evident from the many attacks carried out on security forces throughout the country. We know success is a tough possibility as we are fighting not only against a shrewd enemy but against a wicked mindset. This mindset provides ideological, political, technical, moral and financial support to the Taliban. Changing or even influencing such mindset is not a matter of weeks and months; it may be spread over decades and centuries. Do we have time; or should we take a backseat and get ready to go back in time and follow the Islam the Taliban are propagating? It won’t be that long as suicide bombers are not only in abundance but are in a hurry to reach the promised paradise by the Taliban. MASOOD KHAN, Saudi Arab, February 17.