Incidents of car blasts, suicide bombing and remote control explosions have become a way of life in Peshawar being the hub of terrorist activities. This week there have been four such incidents that have claimed over 20 lives injuring at least eight dozens others, besides causing serious damage to vehicles and public and private properties. On Thursday, a car bomb blast ripped through a Kohat bus terminal, killing 13 persons including two children while an equal number were injured seven of them in critical conditions. On Friday, two bomb blasts were reported from two different localities of KP’s capital. Residents of Peshawar, it seems, have become used to such terrorist activities and yet are determined to eliminate dens of terrorists. Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain who lost his son in a terrorist attack has been demonstrating tremendous courage and commitment to counter these elements posing a serious threat to country’s solidarity. This determination alone could be the main reason why Peshawar is targeted so often.
The common argument of Tehrik-e-Taliban after claiming responsibility is that these incidents are in reaction to the drone attacks by the American CIA and military operations of Pakistani armed forces. It was nearly a year back that COAS General Kayani had announced that instead of military strikes against such terrorist outfits, a process of dialogue would be initiated to settle contentious issues with them. Prime Minister Gilani and Interior Minister Rahman Malik had also issued similar statements. Yet, this process could not begin mainly because the US is against our engaging them in any negotiation and has instead been pressurising to increase military strike against them.
Now that relations with the US are at low ebb and tension is rising with every passing day, it is about time that country’s ruling elite put their heads together and revisited its policy on the war on terror. Pakistan has already paid a heavy price for choosing to be the only frontline state against al-Queda and Taliban in this region. NATO and Isaf commanders have often accused Pakistan of harbouring terrorists and being soft against alleged terrorist training centres in the FATA region. They had never reconciled with the fact that despite massive deployment of foreign forces and air force cover, they could not achieve any objective in Afghanistan. A new-look approach probably is the need of the hour to deal with the prevailing situation.