EDITORIAL: The frequency and audacity of TTP’s (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s) attacks on the state, especially the police force, ought to put any notions of negotiating peace with this terrorist outfit, or repatriating its militants to the tribal area, to rest once and for all.
The official line about how many terrorists stormed the Karachi Police Office (KPO) as well as the total number of casualties seems to differ from eyewitness accounts, but it is amply clear that the hit exposed unforgivable and unacceptable security lapses at a time when law enforcement agencies should be prepared for another round of all-out war with TTP; just like a decade ago when successive military operations cleansed Pakistan of its presence.
That’s why the immediate security audit of all sensitive installations ordered by the Sindh government should extend to the whole country.
The state must also move beyond words and make a very strong show of zero tolerance for terrorism, which will require the top political parties to put their differences aside and come together on one page to meet this grave national emergency.
No doubt the military would be fine- tuning its strike strategy even as politicians work out what conditions to put before the Afghan government that continues to provide safe haven to TTP.
It is unfortunate that the entire state machinery has been behind the curve in this matter.
Pakistan is no stranger to the ravages of terrorism, after all, and there should be no question of allowing even a fraction of the damage that was incurred during TTP’s last war on the state, when more than 80,000 Pakistanis met unfortunate and untimely ends.
The government and security agencies are now expected to do whatever is needed to take decisive action and rid this country of terrorism forever.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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