The day the terror struck at APS
16th December, 2014 shall always be remembered as the darkest day in the history of Pakistan. This is our 9/11 without a doubt. The Peshawar massacre is a grim reminder to all of us as to where humanity stands today. The savages holed up inside their safe havens struck ruthlessly and created history by targeting innocent boys and girls within the age bracket of 3 and 16 . Teachers, who are supposed to be the beacons of knowledge were brutally murdered while the principal of the school was burnt alive right in front of the students. 135 innocent lives lost to this savagery. The mental trauma the surviving kids went through is another story. Those images of blood and gore will remain imprinted in their innocent minds for the rest of their lives.
Had the murderer of the late governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer hanged? terrorists on the death roll been executed and a system of instant justice been implemented, than the situation wouldn’t have been this bad. With no fear of punishment, criminals strike with impunity, knowing that they’d get away with anything in this land of the pure. For a jail-break, all they need is a few hundred hardened militants and impotency on part of the government. It’s as simple, breeding grounds are plenty, with madresahs mushrooming throughout the country under the patronage of jihadi elements and providing foot soldiers in the name of religion. Lal Masjid, the epicenter of all such recruitment’s and militant activities, is once again proving itself a monster that was earlier crushed by the then military ruler of Pakistan. Musharraf should’ve finished the job back then, instead of letting these terrorists regroup, strengthen themselves and strike back, he should’ve razed the mosque and established the writ of the government with an iron fist.
The issue of afghan refugees is another crucial matter that the government isn’t too willing to address. These refugee camps are well stocked with heavy weaponry, are home to hardened criminals and sanctuary for Uzbek and Chechen militants who flew Afghanistan during the war against terrorism. These fully trained men are not just confined to the camps but are conveniently operating within cities and they provide their services to individuals and groups causing instability in Pakistan. The government however is silent and showing no concern towards this menace.
What needs to be done ?
- Through a presidential order, the ban on state executions should be lifted.
- All prisoners on the death should be executed as soon as possible.
- Immediate deportation of all foreign criminal elements holed up in refugee camps.
- Strict monitoring should be ensured of all foreigners settled in Pakistan.
- Madresah reforms should be strictly implemented by the state.
- Intelligence agencies should beef up their networks and flush out all the elements within the agencies who have sympathies with the terrorists.
- A grand military operation should be carried out in major cities like Karachi and Lahore targeting the strongholds of such militants. Urban settlements provide an excellent camouflage to terrorists and therefore the law enforcement agencies should focus their energies towards the no-go areas within the provincial capitals.
- The on-going operation zarb e Azb should be intensified and diplomatic pressure on Afghanistan should be increased to force them into handing over Molvi Fazlullah.
- The government should consider cutting off ties with all the countries who are actively involved in destabilizing our homeland.
We are a resilient nation and each catastrophe makes us stronger. Such cowardly acts won’t break our resolve but instead will make us more determined in this fight against terrorism and extremism.