Dawn.com: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Bushra Gohar succinctly summed up the very intentions of the Taliban, yesterday, when she said “the militants are even scared of children now.” Thehorrendous act of terror showed that there are no limits to whom and where the Taliban can strike – even in regions that have been given the green signal by the government and law-enforcement agencies as being Taliban free.
It wasn’t until late into the night on Tuesday thatpolitical parties issued statementscondemning the attack. Even then, most leaders decided against issuing an all-out condemnation of the Taliban or calling for action against them. Barring the ANP, none of the party’s representatives said the Taliban should be dealt with forcefully in order to restore peace in the country.
The violence and terror unleashed by the Taliban and their various factions over the last half a decade is there for everyone to see. Countless innocent lives have been lost to bomb blasts, IED attacks, suicide attacks, targeted killings and other similar variants of violence. Why, then, has it been so difficult for the mainstream political parties to openly voice their opposition to the Taliban?