HISTORY bears testimony to the fact that violence has remained one of the core features of conflict resolution.

Historically, after the massive destruction of the two World Wars, the international community strived for peace by creating a common platform to resolve issues through diplomacy, but then came the war on terror, which once again normalised invasion and violence in many parts of the world. Thousands of innocent people have lost their lives, and there is no end in sight.

Today, people just count how many people died in an attack. Unfortunately, this ruthless normalisation of violence benefits the rogue elements as they go about their business of crushing dissent.

Moreover, it has nearly been a year since the Zionist regime in Israel started an assault on Palestine. Thousands of innocent Palestinians have perished in this indiscriminate and ruthless use of violence.

After sustained activism initially, the world seems to have gone back to its old ways, with reports of death and destruction in Palestine not affecting the people.

Israel has normalised violence across the world. People just read news reports without reflecting on them seriously. They stand desensitised.

The first time I had heard of a suicide bombing in our area was some 15 years ago. I remember we were in school at the time and were affected by the attack so much that it had kept our everyday life disrupted for weeks. Today, we just hear about such incidents, and move on.

For those affected by violence, whether perpetrated by a state or some militant outfit, it remains a dangerous phenomenon.

It is time the people and forums raised their voice against violence and suppre-ssion, no matter how normalised it gets. Voices against persistent threats to our lives and peace need to be amplified.

Anwar Sayab Khan
Bannu

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2024