It is one of those dark days for the country again—a bomb blast took place at the Jamia Zuberia madrassa in Peshawar’s Dir Colony, killing eight people and injuring more than 110. Four of the deceased were students between the ages of 20 to 25, who had been taking Quran classes at the seminary.
Police superintendent Rajab Ali of the counter-terrorism department confirmed this incident as a blatant act of terrorism. Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was “deeply saddened by the terrorist attack,” and has promised that the terrorists responsible for this cowardly barbaric attack will be brought to justice.
The images of injured children and blood in classrooms brings back memories of the 2014 APS terrorist attack and reminds of the dark period when Pakistan was facing an onslaught of terrorist attacks from militant outfits. We have come a long way from 2014—this brand of terrorism has subsided due to the tireless efforts of the armed forces. This is why this attack in Peshawar on helpless children is alarming and should alert the government. The war against terrorism is one that Pakistan has already largely won, yet with many sacrifices. Still due to geopolitical reasons, with the upcoming peace process with Afghanistan, and tensions with neighbouring India, the threat of terrorism is always looming and must never be underestimated. It is no surprise that India’s vitriolic narrative coincides with this recent spate of attacks.
No terrorist outfit yet has taken responsibility for the incident. There are reports that the communities in Peshawar were fearful of such an attack. It should also be noted that a series of attacks which follow a similar trend like this one have occurred in Afghanistan the past few weeks. If this was the case, then the government should learn from this tragedy that every hint and suspicion must be investigated and that it can never be too cautious when it comes to terrorism. This menace must be continuously fought and kept out.https://nation.com.pk/28-Oct-2020/a-dark-day
