As incidents of terrorism torment the people of Khyber Pathunkhwa, the federal and provincial governments appear to be in a state of extended hibernation. In the last 24 hours, nine separate terrorist incidents were reported, the most serious of which was a bomb placed on a passenger van heading from Peshawar to Parachinar in Kurram Agency, which exploded on the Kohat Road, killing 10 people and injuring 12 others. Witnesses agree that the bomb was placed by a man who entered the van carrying a bag and exited after several stops leaving the bag in the van. The device exploded several minutes later. Police say they are investigating whether it was a timed or remote control device, which may yield a clue about the terrorist group responsible. A vehicle was targeted by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED near Aalim Bridge on the road to Gilgit, killing three people. Militants attacked a police check post in Bannu; police responded and four militants were killed. In Peshawar, terrorists attacked an electricity transmission tower and gunned down Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Asifur Rehman in the vicinity of Yakatut police station. The body of a missing policeman was found decapitated in his home in Madyan, Swat, while the decapitated body of a local official was found in Ghallanai, Mohmand Agency. Security officials also discovered several bullet-riddled corpses in areas known for militant activity in the tribal Agencies. The picture this collection of incidents paints, coupled with growing numbers of attacks in and around Peshawar over several weeks, is of a classic terrorist campaign that escalates slowly, but with increasing bloodiness and vindictiveness. The purpose of the strategy is not only to inflict damage on the security forces, but to the psyche and motivation of people to resist. Portraying the state as impotent and themselves as able to strike at will is how terrorists use fear to influence the political discourse. Attacks will increase in size and potency as the campaign progresses. The government’s inability to create a counter-narrative by educating people about how to stay safe or the role they can play in combating terrorism verges on gross negligence.
This is a severe problem at both the federal and provincial level. The federal government should be formulating the strategy for an awareness campaign that informs people about the need to fight the terrorists. Is it possible to point to one piece of information on state broadcasting that gives details of the losses caused by terrorism, or the reason terrorists must be fought and how? On the contrary, at the height of the terrorist campaign earlier this year, terrorists were regularly monopolising broadcast space to present their warped point of view. Shahidullah Shahid and Eshanullah Ehsan, terrorist spokespersons, became virtually household names, assisted by a rapacious ratings-driven media that is immune to the idea of presenting facts and information in the national interest. Instead of denying terrorists the oxygen of publicity, mass media acted like the bellows in a forge. The provincial government has abdicated its responsibility to prepare people who are on the front lines against terrorism for the inevitable blowback of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, conveniently passing the buck to the army. Should an ASI who was specifically targeted by terrorists have been allowed to roam around without protection? As we have seen, the terrorists believe that police and paramilitary forces are weak links in the security chain and have relentlessly pursued individuals they believe are crucial in urban anti-terrorism efforts. Has public awareness been built about checking abandoned luggage and bags? A lackadaisical bureaucratic attitude that people ‘will not learn anyway’ permeates the government’s thinking. This attitude also prevents highlighting successes. Prior to the attacks in Peshawar, police say that bomb disposal squads defused six other explosive devices throughout the city, a triumph of intelligence, courage and competence that is lost in the media glare. Without even attempting to make citizens aware of the possible repercussions of the operation, the government is effectively turning them into human shields. Perhaps they feel that with a population of millions, a few thousand deaths are meaningless, but for the terrorist strategy of bringing down the government by attacking citizens, this attitude is victory in itself.
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