26 December 2014

Editorial: Where Does Pakistan Go From Here?


By Hamza Mannan

Has the barbarity of December 16 finally changed the way Pakistan’s politicians view security?

In the same breath with which we applaud Malala Yusufzai for her Nobel Peace Prize, we mourn and grieve the loss of at least another 148 students and teachers, most of them children, working to fulfill her vision. Such is the enigma of Pakistan.
At a press conference marking the completion of the operation against the terrorists in the Army Public School in Peshawar, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Asim Bajwa said this was the “Blackest Day” in Pakistan’s history. Each year in Pakistan dates on the calendar are darkened, some a shade darker than others. None quite as dark as December 16: The Express Tribune the morning after led with the headline “Our Darkest Hour,” TV-stations blackened their logos, and in a show of solidarity people on social media changed their display pictures to a black screen.
After a period of introspection and mourning, Pakistan will have to answer a tough question: Where does it go from here? 

Read the full story at The Diplomat