THE fact that terrorists belonging to the banned TTP are getting more audacious was illustrated by the late-night attack targeting the Sarband police station in the outskirts of Peshawar. A number of militants attacked the facility, located close to Khyber tribal district. Local police officers bravely put up resistance and, as reported, gave chase to the militants, but three personnel, including a DSP were martyred in the attack. Far too many law enforcers have laid down their lives in recent months while combating the TTP militants whose attacks are becoming more and more organised and lethal with time. The incident comes on the heels of the siege of the Bannu CTD centre last month, when TTP militants detained in the facility held law enforcers hostage, and SSG commandos had to be deployed to control the situation. The troubling reality is that the terrorists are delivering on their vow to target security personnel, and while earlier attacks focused on the outlying parts of the province, the militants are now finding the confidence to strike in the provincial capital itself.

The need of the hour is for different organs of the state to close ranks and neutralise the terrorist threat through unity. Sadly, political dissonance is affecting the fight against terrorism, and is unnecessarily putting the lives of the security personnel in harm’s way. Following the Peshawar attack, the federal interior minister took a jibe at the KP chief minister, saying he was too “focused on dissolving the assembly”. Both the opposition and the government must realise that their struggle for power is gravely affecting the counterterrorism effort, and that this is no time for political bickering. What is needed is immediate focus on the terrorist threat, before the militants are emboldened further and gain the confidence to launch a wider campaign against the country. For this, the federal government, the provinces and the military must all be on the same page. Unfortunately, this is far from the case. Securing the regions most vulnerable to the terrorist threat — KP and Balochistan — must be the first priority, while through kinetic action and intelligence-based operations the militant infrastructure across Pakistan must be dismantled. If we ignore this existential threat, a ruthless enemy will take full advantage of our mistakes and show no mercy. It is time wiser counsel prevailed over the nation’s political class.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2023