When will we ever learn

When will we ever learn?

That we did not have to lose the two soldiers in broad day light on one of the busiest streets of Karachi. That the lives of four Rangers guarding a mosque in Karachi could have been saved. That the targeted murder of 250 policemen in Karachi was completely avoidable. That the killing of thousands of our citizens by militants every year is not an ordained compulsion.

That there is something fundamentally erroneous about the way we are fighting our war against terror. That wars are not fought by first arming your enemies. That there is little sense in fighting a war without first eliminating the 20 million weapons in the hands of terrorists. That there is little wisdom in fighting a war without first withdrawing the 8 million fraudulent gun licenses.

That the state is an accomplice by keeping its eyes shut on the issue of deweaponisation. That the state has illegally issued thousands of prohibited gun licenses to criminals and cronies. That the state is guilty of allowing the creation of hundreds of highly armed private militias. That the Prime Minister has promised “deweaponisation” thirteen times in the last 3 years without making the smallest effort to make it happen.

That the citizens of Pakistan are the real victims of the failure of the state to protect their lives. That the mafias, the gun runners, the arms dealers , the gun licence makers and the private security agencies are the only beneficiaries of this highly lucrative madness. That the best results in any war are achieved by focusing on a few core objectives. That a complete and non-discriminating deweaponisation ought to have been the first of these objectives. That not doing so would keep Pakistan bleeding from a thousand wounds every day.

The News

3^rd December 2015

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