The news caster proclaims: “All schools and college shall remain close due to the uncertain security situation in the country” and I hear my brother, sitting next to me, groan. “When will I go back to school again? I am sick of sitting at home. I miss school and my friends“, exclaimed my grumpy and disgruntled brother before storming off to his room. His discomfort is utterly justified. I’ll have to admit things have been bleak but not this bad.
Suicide blasts inPakistan have become a daily occurrence. Unfortunately, we have become so accustomed to it that they don’t even surprise us anymore. However, we never fail to feel the pain of thousands of Pakistanis who have lost their lives to this menace. According to a school of thought, we are in a state of war and no different thanAfghanistanandIraq. I tend to disagree. We have our whole economic, political and social system intact have the ability and the power to think for ourselves. Yes, these suicide blasts are a reprisal of the military operation underway inSouth Waziristan. But, the military operation seemed the only prudent solution at the time. Yes, it offshoots are evident in the form of perpetual suicide attacks we are experiencing but there is an end to it; that’s what I firmly believe and a new dawn and an ear await Pakistan.
A shift has been observed in the way these attacks are being carried out recently. We thought our educational institutions were safe and the bombers would never dare attack a school or a college for that matter. Suicide blast at Islamic International University is an epitome of that. An unknown fear has infiltrated the students and they probably have learnt to live with it. Parents are increasingly concerned regarding the security measures being undertaken at the schools and colleges. While the current situation has aroused fear, it has given way to an emotion never felt before in these dire circumstances; anger. Masses are angered at the government and demand the security of their school going children. This anger is the resultant of deepening frustration and inability to break free from the current situation. It holds massive consequences for our education system where no activity was taken place for a week or so owing to the closure of the business. Children have been sitting at home and missing out on a lot. This situation will indeed raise eye brows.
The situation at hand has affected everyPakistanin one way or the other. We now think twice before stepping out of our homes and avoid marketplaces which are thronged with people especially after the deadly blast that occurred inPeshawar. People have minimized their social activities and prefer to stay at homes. This situation also has a profound effect on our economy as a whole and our image in the international market. Nationals of various countries were warned not travel toPakistanon a frequent basis. Who would want to come toPakistanand set up their businesses? Businesses inPakistanalready present a dismal picture as there are no buyers. The kind of damage a blast entails has massive cost implications. The blown market inPeshawarwill have to be rebuilt and would cost twice as much in taking down the weakened buildings around the area. Thus it’s not just the human loss that we are suffering from, there’s a lot more to it.
Government, I believe, is doing its best but there’s a lot of more that can be done. We will have to work backwards and find out where these elements are coming from and who funds their activities. I would not be surprised if I was told some external forces are involved in the attacks occurring inPakistanbecause that’s pretty understandable. All we can do at this point in time is to be careful and not let anyone break us apart. We are one strong nation and should stand united in these challenging times. The least we can do at this point in time is to present the opposing forces with another excuse to blow away our homeland. As the cliché goes: united we stand, divided we fall.
