This picture was taken the other day on one of the streets in the main Mingora city of Swat. The individual’s sense of fashion might come as a surprise to Tariq Amin, the guru of the Pakistani fashion industry, and his smile could be a shock to those who mistakenly perceive Swat as a hub of terrorists and terrorism.
It’s heart-wrenching to hear about the casualties of so many sons serving in the armed forces every day, from Gwadar to D.I. Khan and even Tank, which is the hometown of the brave and bold Gen. Tariq Khan, the man who effectively countered the militants as IG FC.
As a young man, I myself became involved in serving my beloved country in roles related to countering insurgency, terrorism, and kidnappings in the sprawling cosmopolitan city of Karachi back in the early ’90s. This was during the tenure of DIG Shoaib Suddle, who led the efforts, supported by courageous police field officers like Shaheed Choudary Aslam, who was then a rising star. His life even became the subject of a Pakistani commercial film. Late Aslam was a dedicated soul, a friend, and a counterpart in many operations. He would always fondly recall those times with a smile whenever we spoke over the phone after I joined Dawn Islamabad in a management role, under its dynamic CEO, the Honourable Hameed Haroon, and Chairman of Pakistan Herald Publication, the late Honourable Mahmoud Haroon, who was a former Governor of Sindh and an old family friend, and the maternal uncle of my cousin, the Honourable Abbas Khan Sarfaraz, a former senator and Federal Minister for Kashmir and Tribal Affairs.
As I look back and reflect on the past, I’ve come to understand the entire dynamics of the violence that shattered the ordinary lives of our citizens and dealt a severe blow to our economy. The primary reason that gave birth to terrorism on our soil was mainly political. Whether it was the now-notorious CIA-sponsored Afghan war under the military dictator Zia Ul Haq or our coalition partnership with the United States under Gen. Musharaf, we transformed the smiling, peaceful, and progressive face of Pakistani society into one that suffered systematic state-sponsored international violence perpetrated by world powers for their own vested interests. This came at the cost of the sufferings and sacrifices of our sons, whose blood continues to be shed with no end in sight to the ugly face of terrorism that has defaced our national identity.
There must be a solution to this senseless killing and terrorism. I find no military solution; it must be purely political. This can be achieved through free and fair elections with a level playing field for all political players, including the PTI, and a transfer of power with zero interference. This will enable Pakistan and Pakistanis to determine their own destiny. Long Live Pakistan and its people, who continue to suffer from the scourge of terrorism.