BOOM September Issue | Page 24

ARTICLE F COUNTERING TERRORISM WITH ZARB-E-AZB or the last many weeks, it has been a very popular statement of different politicians, defense analysts and of different TV anchors that the Operation Zarb-e-Azb in Pakistan is reaching its climax. This statement gives an impression that the menace of terrorism has been completely uprooted from the Pakistani society and that there is no more danger from their side now. But the fact of the matter is that the Operation Zarb-eAzb still needs to be carried on for a long time. Everywhere terrorism is the name of a disease which could never be treated with simple medicines; it always ends up in a surgical treatment followed by a long term followup. And in most of the cases this disease adopts the form and shape of a malignant tumor which ultimately becomes a serious threat to life if not properly taken care of. In short one has to be very much offensive in dealing with the menace of terrorism but at the same time it does not mean that the scourge of terrorism is incurable. Just cast a look at the devastated and ruined lands of Sri Lanka a few years back. The enchanting island of waters and mountains had been the ever-worst victim to the terrorist activities of the LTTE for about three decades. The LTTE began conducting extensive and deadly terrorist attacks against the Sri Lankan government and civilians in 1983. As a result of this brutal terrorism more than 80000 people lost their lives and thousands got seriously injured. The LTTE terrorists pioneered the use of suicide bombings with the help of women and children suicide bombers. The LTTE terrorists did all they could do to destroy the whole of the social st