The attempts to appease the TTP have proven to be a huge strategic blunder. The state appears to have given the group, and other such organizations, more time and space to launch a fresh spree of violence. The temerity with which our military and civilian law-enforcement agencies are being targeted is the proof of the pudding. Already confronting unceasing political and economic unrest, we are now obliged to buckle up against a new wave of terrorism that seems to be metastasizing across the country. While many sober-minded analysts and observers saw this coming, there are still those, most notably the PTI and its chief, defending the failed appeasement policy.
These naysayers comprise those who have always had a soft spot for the militants, especially the Afghan Taliban. Those who cheered on the Afghan Taliban’s Kabul victory have many misconceptions about the TTP and are partly responsible for the circumstances we are in now. Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have encountered such views nor is it the first time we have obliged them to our own peril. But there is no use crying over spilt blood. All we can do is make sure this time will be the last time we turn an ear towards the militants and their erstwhile sympathizers.
Zahid Ali Zohri
Nagar