The resumption of strikes against terrorist infrastructure along the Afghanistan border could not have come soon enough. For too long, frustration has been rising across Pakistan over the steady increase in cross-border terrorism and the perception that repeated attacks were going unanswered. Pakistan has given Afghanistan time, space and repeated opportunities to act against sanctuaries used by groups targeting this country.
Yet Pakistan continues to bleed, with Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bearing the heaviest burden. The latest attacks on security posts, including the martyrdom of personnel in Peshawar, North Waziristan and Bannu, show once again that this is not a distant or abstract threat. It is a daily war being imposed on Pakistan's people and security forces.
Precision Strikes Based on Credible Intelligence
The government has said the latest strikes were precise, calibrated and based on credible intelligence, targeting hideouts, training centres and ammunition caches linked to Fitna-al-Khawarij. It has also rejected Afghan claims of civilian casualties, insisting that terrorists have long used families and civilian cover as a shield for their infrastructure.
Pakistan's position is clear: peace and regional stability remain desirable, but the safety of Pakistani citizens must come first. That principle must now guide policy beyond one round of strikes.
The Need for a Sustained Campaign
Punitive action after a major terrorist incident may satisfy public anger for a moment, but it does not dismantle the machinery of terror. Pakistan has too often fallen into the pattern of reacting only after blood has been spilled. Intelligence-based operations and calibrated strikes cannot be symbolic gestures. They must become part of a sustained, coordinated and long-term campaign.
Diplomacy with Kabul, including mediation by China, should continue where useful. But dialogue cannot become a cover for inaction, nor can repeated assurances replace verifiable action against terrorist sanctuaries. If Afghan soil is being used to plan and launch attacks against Pakistan, then Pakistan has every right to defend itself.
The country must now gear up for an anti-terror campaign with the seriousness of a major war. Nothing less will defeat this menace.
