THE QUESTIONS
1. The heart goes out to them.
Even the God of death would cry. In uniforms to in caskets, how can anyone on
Earth justify killing innocent school students in the name of avenging
atrocities on his lot?
2. Pakistan today saw its worst
ever terror strike where around 150 people lost their lives, most of them being
the students, as per the latest reports, in Taliban attack on Army Public
School in Peshawar. The toll may go up with over 200 injured in hospitals
facing blood shortage. But, the big question is, can we say will it remain the
worst ever terror strike of the country?
3. From targeting girl schools
and girls in schools, now schools and students, irrespective of the gender, is
Pakistan staring at the next wave of terror where nothing would be spared, not
even children, in settling scores with the government or in pushing the terror
agenda further?
4. Pakistan is a fractured
nation. Its political chaos, lost in its military juggernaut has made the
country directionless. The perpetual disagreement among its controlling institutions
failed to check insurgency in its restive provinces and now it has engulfed the
whole country. What precipitated today, and we cannot say it ends here - isn't it
Pakistan's own making?
5. Afghanistan President Mohammad
Najibullah had warned Pakistan of Taliban's grave dangers saying its flames
would burn Pakistan. Soon Taliban swept Afghanistan and killed Najibullah in a
public display of brutality. Pakistan created Taliban and now Taliban is trying
to undo an already chaotic Pakistan. Isn't it?
6. Isn't it the high time, the wakeup
call for Pakistan to look at and treat terror as 'terror', not differentiating it
in categories like 'good terror' or 'bad terror' or 'good Taliban' or 'bad
Taliban'?
7. What Pakistan has become today
- a country infested with terror, by its own doings. Doesn't it once again prove
the established dangers of 'state sponsored terror' as a policy tool?
8. After the attack today,
Pakistan has vowed to hit back and its military launched air strikes in North
Waziristan, based on actionable intelligence. But given the scale of Taliban
attack today and another blast in Peshawar in the evening, what would be Pakistan's
backup plans to thwart any further big attack?
9. Is Pakistan equipped to gauge
and thwart suicidal terror attacks of this scale on large social institutions
and gatherings? Its political institutions have been in disarray and are week.
Its military is engaged in fighting on many unnecessary fronts, including
Pakistan military sponsored terror export in India, Afghanistan and other South
Asian countries. The flares are reaching even to China and Iran.
10. Is it still foolhardy to
expect if Pakistan's military and political establishments would be forced to
think on their long cherished patronage of the terror apparatus in their
country after this barbaric Monday?