Black Day 16th December 2014 141 brutally killed by Taliban Terrorists In Military School Peshawar school massacre: Pakistans watershed Taliban moment? By Aamer Ahmed Khan Editor, BBC Urdu, Islamabad Pakistani Sayed Shah, shows a picture of his son Zulqarnain, 17, a student who was killed in last Tuesdays Taliban attack on a military-run school, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. Continue reading the main story Pakistan massacre Who were victims? Schoolboys tales of survival Survivors tell of chaos Pupils recall attack For a nation that has lost more than 70,000 people in 13 years to terror attacks, it is not easy to talk of watersheds. But the brutal Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar which killed more than 130 children may well be a watershed for a country that has long been accused by the world of treating terrorists as strategic assets. The day after the attack, as a nation mourned and Peshawar buried its dead, Pakistans top political leadership announced that it was no longer willing to make any distinction between good and bad Taliban. Flanked by his arch rivals and allies, Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to carry on fighting until the last terrorist was killed. As he was making the announcement, Pakistans army chief General Raheel Sharif was meeting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) commanders in Kabul to seek their assistance in fighting a menace which he said had hit the heart of the Pakistani nation. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (C) talks to an injured student at the military hospital in Peshawar, as army chief General Raheel Sharif (L) looks on. Will Pakistans military and civilian leadership now work together against militants? Could this, then, be the watershed Pakistan has been in search of for years? The answer probably lies in the prime ministers statement, which is not only about a new intent but also about an admission: for years Pakistan has pursued a duplicitous policy towards various shades of militant organisations operating out of its territory. Simply put, those active against Isaf in Afghanistan or against Indian security forces across the Line of Control in Kashmir were the good Taliban. But those who had affiliated themselves to al-Qaeda after 9/11 and carried out terror attacks inside Pakistan were the bad ones. The problem, of course, was this distinction was never as clear in Taliban minds as it was in Pakistans policy makers. Often co-operating organisationally and operationally, the continuously splintering Taliban groups continued to benefit from the fruits of Pakistans policy confusion. In the process, they consolidated their bases in the countrys lawless tribal belt unchecked. Pakistani army personnel gather around the coffin of army soldier who was killed in the school attack, during a funeral in Mansehra on December 17, 2014. Military families are grieving across Pakistan The inaction of General Kayani, Raheel Sharifs predecessor, was an additional bonus for the Taliban. In his six-year tenure, he came under strong criticism for failing to devise an effective counter terrorism approach even after the government gave him complete authority to do so. Consequently, every fresh Taliban attack on soldiers steadily raised the disquiet and resentment within military ranks - not only against the government but also its own leadership. That was why Gen Sharif lost no time in launching what he called an indiscriminate operation earlier in the year in North and South Waziristan, the two tribal agencies most under Taliban control. But still mired in their policy confusion, Pakistans political leaderships response to his initiative was lukewarm. Gen Sharif categorically said we will get them, be they Pakistani Taliban, Punjabi Taliban, al-Qaeda and affiliates, or most importantly, the dreaded Haqqani network. But the countrys political leadership chose to remain largely silent. The Peshawar attack seems to have changed that. Sheer brutality In the short term, the Taliban may have got what they wanted. They were able to hit the army where it hurts the most. The 128 army-run schools in the country are home to more than 150,000 students, 90% of them are children of serving army officers. The attack has brought the fight home to the army in its most horrific form. The militants have also demonstrated that despite the armys claims of having destroyed their operational and organisational capability, they are present and still capable of planning and hitting at will, where they want. A bonus of course has been the media spectacle that has gone beyond Pakistans borders. But in doing so, they have also brought home the sheer brutality of this conflict. Behind every student they killed in Peshawar, lurked their anger and frustration at what many among them must perceive as an about-turn by a former sympathiser, if not exactly an ally. Pakistani Taliban released photo of what they say are Taliban militants who stormed the Peshawar school The Pakistani Taliban released this photo of the militants they say were behind the deadly school attack For the Taliban, the attack was an act of pure revenge. There doesnt seem to be any strategic or political thinking behind it other than their known philosophy of ruling through terror. It seems to matter little to them that it may have pushed Pakistans civil and military leadership into rethinking its good-Taliban-bad-Taliban approach. More important for Gen Sharif, though, is the fact that if there was any measure of sympathy for the Taliban within the army, which was their chief mentor only a decade ago, it must have been washed away in the tears of hundreds of grieving military families across Pakistan. Does it then mean that the real war on terror has finally started in Pakistan? It is far too early to venture a credible guess given the historic complexity of Pakistans relationship with the Taliban. But what is clear is that Pakistan is now looking for visible and demonstrable revenge - which may perhaps come only from a trade-off with Afghanistan on each others good and bad Taliban. In a country with a 35-year history of rearing militant groups for its strategic objectives, perhaps that is as far as a watershed can go. At least for now. More on This Story Pakistan massacre Mobeen Shah AfridiWho were victims? The pupils and teachers killed a Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar Schoolboys tales of survival Survivors tell of chaos Pupils recall attack Rising anger against militants What we know Attack in pictures Who are the Taliban? Attackers entered classroomsWatch Where are Pakistans militants? Anti-Taliban alliance? Background on Afghan Taliban Taliban in-depth How Qatar hosts the Taliban Natos exit strategyWatch Eight weeks to face the Taliban Video Why Pakistan pupil wears bloody uniformWatch Pakistan principal chose to stayWatch Boys died before my eyesWatch Gunmen fired indiscriminatelyWatch Aftermath inside schoolWatch Pakistan Taliban attacks in 60 secsWatch Related Stories Peshawar school massacre: What we know17 DECEMBER 2014, ASIA Rising anger against Pakistan militants16 DECEMBER 2014, ASIA A reinvigorated anti-Taliban alliance?09 DECEMBER 2014, ASIA Who are the Taliban?01 NOVEMBER 2013, ASIA From other news sites Scottish Daily Express Pakistan army kill 57 Taliban monsters in deadly airstrikes after Peshawar school attack 11 hrs ago Chicago Tribune After school attack, Pakistan vows to pursue militants outside its borders 23 hrs ago Washington Post Pakistan mourns killings, leader vows to pursue terrorists 28 hrs ago Daily Times Response to tragedy 29 hrs ago The Economist* Massacre in Pakistan: The blood of innocents 36 hrs ago About these results * May require registration or subscription Share this page ShareFacebookTwitterPrint More Asia storiesRSS Police cordon in Cairns, Australia (19 Dec 2014)Eight children found dead in Cairns Eight children are found dead at a house in the Manoora suburb of Cairns, Australia, say police, reportedly after a mass stabbing. 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Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 05:34:23 +0000
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