The Attock attack

This refers to the news report, ‘Punjab home minister, 20 others killed in suicide hit’ (August 17). The attack seems to be carried out in retaliation to the killing of LeJ’s leader Malik Ishaq in July. If the claim is true then the perpetrators should be brought to justice as soon as possible.
This is not only the murder of a sitting home minister but also an attack on the state’s sovereignty. If the home minister can become prey to terrorists then one can imagine the vulnerability of common people. Despite the success of the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the attack shows that militant outfits still wield influence over society and can sabotage peace of the country. Like the Peshawar massacre this attack should also be made an example for the terrorists. It is an open call to launch more intensive operation against terrorists. In this hour of grief the whole nation stands with our civilian and armed leadership. With these acts of sheer cowardice, terrorists cannot scare us. Rather, they are strengthening our determination to root out terrorism.
Tariq Faruqi
Karachi