#APSPeshawar - #Pakistan - #NAP — resting in peace?

The time to try on different terror narratives for size is through. What Pakistan needs are results. Of the tangible kind.

Up until now what we have had is a discourse of deflection. This has centred on commending the resilience of those who somehow managed to survive where terrorists would rather see them slaughtered. From Malala to the children of the APS massacre. We need to stop focusing on their bravery. The latter didn’t sacrifice their lives for this country. For the simple reason that they did not consent to have their bodies riddled with bullets. No, they had their lives violently taken.

The only hope to come out of the murder of some 130 school children was the way in which the state came together from across the political divide to not only talk the talk on terror — but to also walk the walk. By and large that was a defining moment when the entire country came together and expected the state to finally act. Even though some circles seized upon this tragedy to underscore their cynicism. The children of Pakistan Army officers, they crowed, are worth more than the children of FATA who are being bombed by US drones. And while there might be some truth in this given that the US was invited by the state apparatus to rain down their bullets in Pakistan’s tribal areas — the sad reality remains that if children at a military school are not safe, then none of our children are. No matter how secure our nukes.

So, we — the whole country — backed the 20-point roadmap by way of endorsing the National Action Plan (NAP). Yet fast-forward to today and the state appears weaker than ever before. Yes, the military has cleaned up many areas in the northwest and flushed out the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), with the latter having regrouped in Afghanistan. Sure, we have seen the reintroduction of the death penalty as well special military-run trial courts. Yet we have also witnessed the strengthening of extremist forces; many of which don’t even need bombs and bullets to ensure that their will is done. Indeed, we have all seen just how easy it was for the latter to get a certain law minister’s head on a stick.

And all the while is our security apparatus is working overtime to parade before the nation certain ‘reformed assets’. When not busy with this — it is occupied with its much-touted militant-mainstreaming project. On the basis that the only way to curb such outfits is to have their positions moderated. And that this means having them face the people at the ballot box. Thus we have seen two particularly questionable groups contest local by-elections on equal footing with political parties. In other words, throwing into question the NAP’s commitment to its own mandate of banning the glorification of terrorists, outlawing militant outfits operating in the country and ensuring an end to religious extremism and protection of minorities.

And we still wonder why Pakistan isn’t winning this ‘war.’