NO Pakistani would grudge the government for coming hard on the terrorists who kill and maim people at will, trying to enforce their point of view, but one would expect a properly constituted authority like the state, particularly in this age of increasing consciousness about the sanctity of human rights, not to go wild in pursuit of these dangerous elements. If the news about the likely insertion of a provision, 'shoot at sight, in the anti-terrorist laws whose toughening is supposed to be on the cards, has any truth, there is need for a rethink. For one thing, there must be a clear difference between the state and non-state actors. Security of citizens being a decisive factor in the evolution of the concept of state, it cannot go about murdering people on mere suspicion; it has to follow the law and constitution. For another, the proposed change could have dreadful consequences. In a society where law and order is abysmally poor, for whatever reasons, loopholes in the laws, badly equipped and trained security personnel, indifference of government or corrupt practices - there is a tendency to stage armed encounters with 'criminals. And it is widely felt that those 'eliminated are not all culprits; encounters are considered an ideal course to get rid of innocent rivals as well. Reports keep appearing in the media, here as well as abroad, accusing the security forces of covertly murdering militants since the army has been doing mopping up operations in Swat. Under the circumstance, it would be a great folly to give such a handle to the law enforcement agencies. Rather, the legal procedure that fails to convict a terrorist or is too dilatory must be revised on a priority basis. Serious attention must be paid to eliminate other deficiencies. Despite the alarming situation, there is little in sight to train security officials in dealing with the terrorist phenomenon; nor do they have the required weapons. The worst of all, their attitude betrays lack of the consciousness of the threat. The answer lies in tying up these loose ends.