Walking through the dilapidated Forensic Medicine department at Khyber Medical College each day is becoming an increasingly formidable exercise. The mortuary was never a pleasant experience, but the recent hike in the scale of terrorism-related casualties would unnerve any hardened soul.
The entire department resembles a battle zone these days – crowded for space as rows of dead bodies wait their turn to get registered with the police. As I walk through the college gate, the assortment of police and Edhi vans makes the scene more surreal. Even more disturbing is what greets me inside – rows of blood-stained white shrouds. The putrefying stench overwhelms the mind. Who were the latest causalities of this endless warfare? What did they do to deserve this fate? How many more lives are yet to be tortured or blasted away by this phantom that has invaded this once-tranquil landscape since 9/11?
Newspapers give graphic details of brazen attacks – on individuals, politicians, grid stations. The total collapse of the KP security personnel has become a tragic cliché. The Taliban run amok in Peshawar as one after another important targets fall.
Only recently, Majeed Marwat – Commandant, FC and a dear friend – survived a suicide attack that killed pedestrians and policemen on the main thoroughfare of the Peshawar cantonment. This is the main Cantt road where ordinary mortals are subjected to gruelling checks by security personnel – and from here a suicide bomber escaped scrutiny.
The brightest police officers have been eliminated one after another. As the list grows, these names add up as cold statistics. The media and the public mourn the latest ‘breaking news’ carnage, and no sooner it’s a forgotten story.
More Peshawar residents now cherish long weekends in Islamabad, wishing temporarily to escape the feeling of helplessness that lives with them. ‘Normal’ daily life – parks, theatres, shopping malls – invokes envy. These pleasures have become a thing of the past for Peshawar. Returning to Peshawar no longer inspires pleasure, rather fear and insecurity about the future.
For a decade now, districts and agencies have fallen victim to militancy. The recent addition of 43,000 IDPs from the Tirah Valley adds to the existing millions at the mercy of militants and the military standoff in the province. Vulnerable women, children and the infirm have already perished on their way to Peshawar. And Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s obvious human rights issue is conveniently ignored by the world.
Who do we turn to? The ANP and the MMA have both failed to bring peace to this troubled land. What else lies in store for the traumatised souls living here?
We also hear rumours about the political godfathers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – those who were elected to save us – having moved their assets to Islamabad and the gulf sheikdoms. The elite having abandoned the sinking ship, Peshawar is at the mercy of devious players and strategists.
What steps should the caretaker government consider before militancy consumes us all as elections draw near? Experts say that installation of electronic sensors on all the main entrances to Peshawar could deter an imminent suicide bomber or munitions to a large extent. Other state-of-the-art gadgets are also available in the international market. Is human life not precious enough to invest in a long-term anti-terrorism policy?
As a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa I would like to question the guardians of the state of Pakistan about the billions poured into the security establishment and the police departments. Why do we still find ourselves ill-equipped against the organised TTP and its affiliate outfits?
Nothing in terms of strategic planning to confront terrorism has been evolved since 9/11. Nothing less than a miracle can save us from an inevitable slide towards complete self-destruction.
Email: adilzareef@yahoo.com

Source : http://e.thenews.com.pk/4-19-2013/page7.asp#;