AT least 21 people, including 15 police officials, were martyred and more than 100 others injured when an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a mosque inside Kohat Police Lines on Friday. The blast was followed by an armed assault on the police compound, prompting a clearance operation by security forces.
This horrific attack deserves the strongest possible condemnation. It once again highlights the grave threat of terrorism faced by Pakistan. The fact that terrorists chose a mosque and a police compound as their targets demonstrates the sheer brutality of those responsible. Their objective was clearly to inflict maximum casualties, spread fear and strike at both worshippers and those entrusted with protecting the public. Such terrorists have nothing to do with any religion. No faith can justify the deliberate killing of innocent people and no religious teaching can provide legitimacy to violence against worshippers, police officials or civilians. Terrorism is an assault not only on human lives but also on the peace, stability and social fabric of the country.
The nation salutes the police officers and other security personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the long and difficult war against terrorism. Their courage and devotion to duty have come at an enormous human cost. We will always remember these martyrs and the sacrifices made by their families, who bear a burden that can never truly be repaid. Such cowardly acts cannot shake the determination to root out the menace of terrorism once and for all. The response must remain firm, sustained and coordinated. Security institutions and intelligence agencies must continue to improve coordination, share information swiftly and pursue terrorist networks, facilitators and financiers to their hiding places. The battle against terrorism cannot be won through force alone; it also requires vigilance, intelligence, institutional cooperation and public support. The sacrifices of the martyrs demand nothing less than a sustained national effort to ensure that terrorists never again succeeds in destroying innocent lives or undermining the country’s peace.
