The people of Pakistan are very unlucky as they are living under constant fear of death, economic insecurity, political uncertainty and negative social and climatic changes. They are suffering due to the flawed and weak decisions and policies of the corrupt ruling elite, including political, religious, and social leaders and businesspeople.

Due to their poor policies, the state is about to crumble economically, socially, and politically. Unfortunately, there is no hope to halt this rapid slide towards utter failure in the coming days. On one hand, a sense of utter hopelessness has engulfed the people of Pakistan. On the other, the ruling elite, especially politicians, are playing political games. They are blind to the problems and miseries of the people. To conceal their failure and incompetence, they are using religion. Ishaq Dar, the finance minister, declares that God has created Pakistan and He will bring about prosperity in the country. Shamelessly, he is concealing his flawed economic policy by using God’s name. He is deliberately ignoring the fact that God has also created Bangladesh and all other countries of the world, along with this entire cosmos.

Tragically, terrorists are also using religion to kill Muslims in mosques and other worship places. It is a tragedy that both politicians and terrorists are using religion to achieve their partisan interests and nefarious designs.

In recent weeks, militant organisations have increased their attacks in the country. On February 5, seven people were injured in two separate terrorist attacks in Balochistan, one of them said to be a suicide bombing. The first attack took place near the Police Lines on Gulistan Road and the other on Mano Jan Road. Five people were injured in the first attack. According to news reports, it was a suicide blast that occurred near a bridge. The outlawed TTP has claimed responsibility for the blast. In the other incident, unidentified individuals riding motorcycles threw a grenade into the house of Nazeer Ahmed on Mano Jan Road, injuring a woman and her child.

Before the two attacks, a suicide bomber struck a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines on January 30 that killed over 84 persons and injured around 200. Initially, the attack’s perpetrator was identified as the banned TTP. It eventually distanced itself from it, but previous information suggested that it might have been the work of a local branch of the prohibited organisation. With 134 fatalities (a 139pc increase) and 254 injuries from at least 44 militant strikes around the nation in January, it was the worst month since 2018. Moreover, 420 terrorist attacks have been recorded in Pakistan since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The banned TTP took responsibility for 141 attacks despite announcing an indefinite ceasefire in June. In fact, the terror attacks have increased since the TTP revoked the ceasefire with the government in 2022.

The blast that took place inside a high-security area is evidence of the extremists’ increasing ability to carry out high-profile terrorist attacks with lethal consequences. Reports also suggest that some insiders may have been involved in the attack. It is obvious that such a large-scale terrorist attack needs a solid support system. Even the KP police have protested against the attack and the state’s inability to give them protection by crushing terrorism. This is a very alarming situation. It means state institutions are losing their credibility among their own workers and the general population, which would lead to a civil war—the goal of terrorists. The attack not only shows the weakness of the Pakistani state but also exposes its flawed security apparatus. Unfortunately, the state allowed the TTP under some dubious deal, to come back into the area.

Imran Khan, the former prime minister, has said, “When the militants came, they were not rehabilitated or given any proper attention, and no money was spent on them. We were afraid that if we did not pay attention to them, then terrorism would start in different places, which (is what) has happened.” Under the deal, several militant leaders have also been released. According to reports, thousands of militants have come back from Afghanistan, re-established their bases and started attacks in different parts of Pakistan, especially KP and Balochistan.

After the Peshawar attack, thousands of people have protested in different towns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, condemning the brutal attack and demanding the restoration of durable peace in the province. The majority of the peace marchers were young people who carried white flags, banners, and placards as they urged the government to put an end to militancy and secure lasting peace. The government and security institutions should pay full heed to these protests and chalk out a pragmatic policy to crush the menace. The National Security Committee has pledged to root out terrorism with “the full force of the state”. But Pakistan needs drastic actions, not declarations and pledges, to get rid of terrorism.

The political elite should take urgent socio-economic measures to tackle the resurgence of militancy. Poverty and illiteracy should be removed as they breed corruption, violence, and terrorism. Around two million students are studying at 36,000 registered madrassas across the country. The state should introduce subjects like science, mathematics, chemistry, biology, etc. in madrassas. To eliminate prejudice, a single curriculum should be implemented in schools. Additionally, all retrogressive laws need to be repealed. The state should learn from the past and introduce a clear policy for crushing terrorists.