Context
On the anniversary of the December 2014 terrorist attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar, some important questions have been raised. How far has the campaign progressed in achieving the goals of the war against extremism? Moreover, what were the lessons learned from this tragic attack and have they been addressed as part of Pakistan’s National Action Plan?
A discussion was held on Voice of America to discuss the various facets of this campaign, which included the KPK Information Minister Shaukat Yusufzai. PoliTact’s Chief Analyst Arif Ansar, pointed out the economic loss is just one aspect of the cost – but often the most mentioned. One of the key consequences of the war against extremism is the societal transformation in the areas where this campaign has been carried out.
Like any individual that has undergone trauma, the places where the war is being conducted also needs ongoing rehab to address the psychological damage and aftershocks – to manage the anger – and to cure the mindset prone to violence. But this first requires a period of normalcy, which in many places has not been established. In fact, they are being confronted by many secondary and tertiary side effects, for which awareness has to be raised before they can be addressed in any meaningful way.
Listen to the Discussion:
