Honouring the slain

The Mianwali municipal authorities have named the sole underpass in the city after Captain Ahmed Mubeen Zaidi, a senior police officer, who laid down his life in the line of duty during the Lahore blast this year. Zaidi was killed in the terrorist attack in Lahore on February 13 while negotiating with the protesters. This act of honouring a martyr shows that the whole nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the law-enforcement department. It also sends a clear message to the terrorists that we will continue to shed our blood for the sanctity and security of our land and will strengthen our resolve to eradicate extremism, terrorism, obscurantism and bigotry from our country. It highlights the fact that we, as a nation, stand united in the face of all brazen attacks and bounce back with fresh vigour and new determination.

The APS carnage also bore witness to the fact that our military and civilian authorities were on the same page when it came to defeating the militants. There is no denying the fact that the blood of the martyr and the ink of the scholar never go wasted. Our renowned and world-acclaimed scholars must provide a counter- narrative to the terrorist agenda. By honouring Captain Zaidi we have shown that the whole nation has rejected the narrative of the extremists.

Muhammad Fayyaz

Mianwali