As Pakistan mourns the loss of its innocent school children, who were cruelly gunned down by Taliban extremists, a refrain soliciting the government to ‘Crush Taliban to save Pakistan’, is gaining traction among the masses.
The heinous massacre of the children could be Pakistan’s watershed moment in its bid to defeat the Taliban and other extremist groups, by rejecting their ideology and resorting to sterner action.
The Pakistani people are resilient and this crime will have strengthened their resolve. The deaths of the innocent must not go in vain because their killing has fuelled a collective consciousness.
While the government is pursuing a policy of speeding up executions of terrorists in captivity, it must be careful to avoid mindless violence so as to avoid collateral damage against women and children. Statements must be commensurate with action. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s promise to wipe out terrorism is robust in intent and admission — that extremism is spreading to the core of Pakistani society. It is imperative that every platform of society now stands together, especially the country’s political class. Parties, irrespective of their agendas, must support the government’s actions.
Subscribing to conspiracy theories will no longer solve the problem. In the final analysis, the challenge is Pakistan’s to negotiate and it must show the disposition to do so. The cancer must be rooted out and it is incumbent upon every Pakistani to be part of this collective effort.
