By IANS,
Islamabad : Terrorism is very much alive in Pakistan and this becomes all the more ominous with elections now just around the corner, said a daily Wednesday.
“…we have been given a clear indication, once again, that terrorism and militancy are very much alive and well in our country,” said an editorial in the News International after a suicide bomber Monday broke into the Judicial Complex in Peshawar and detonated himself, killing four and injuring over 40.
“This becomes all the more ominous with elections now just around the corner. The bomb blast at the court adds to the fear that rallies and polling stations may be hit by the militants who clearly wish to disrupt all aspects of political life,” said the daily.
“The fact that they are able to do it – and apparently so easily – is disturbing and shows how huge a failure the institutions of state have been in fighting this threat effectively.”
It stressed that this “very real and dangerous threat must be prevented from growing into a bigger monster than it has already become”.
The editorial went on to say that even now the militants retain the capacity to plan, organise and then strike.
“…the next government has the unenviable task of tackling militancy head on. Its primary priority must be to find some way to put an end to the killing and mayhem we have witnessed almost daily these past few years, and to restore peace and order,” it said.
The daily pointed out that incidents such as the one in Peshawar, “at highly secured areas, again show that no one is safe in the country and no place immune from militants who have broken into airbases, government buildings and police-training complexes”.
“The only glaring reality we can take away from this is the threat of a near collapse of our infrastructure. Somehow we must find a way to stop this process, or else we will face a collapse on all fronts in a country constantly reeling from the extent of violence it has faced,” the editorial added.