Last Friday, the TTP terrorists chose a day of religious celebration to launch an attack on the Agriculture Training Institute hostel in Peshawar, killing eight students and a guard. The casualty figure might have been higher had the institute not been closed due to the Eid Miladun Nabi (PBUH) holiday before the weekend. Most of the students had gone home, only those belonging to far-flung areas had stayed back. Commendably for them, the police commandos responded quickly, killing all four of the attackers in a two-hour long gun battle. But it made no sense for the provincial government and the police chief to pat themselves on the back for bringing the situation under control with minimal loss of life. Even one innocent life lost is too many; in this case, nine precious lives were cut short.

Peshawar has repeatedly come under attack as it is located close to the tribal badlands not far from the Afghan border. Less than two weeks earlier, the AIG police was martyred in a suicide bombing. In this case, reports say the attackers had their handlers in Afghanistan, to whom they had been broadcasting their acts live via a smart phone, the footage of which the TTP later released claiming credit for the carnage. They could not have succeeded without the help of local facilitators. In fact, the provincial authorities later announced arresting a number of suspects, which suggests intelligence failure. The usual tendency after such horrors is to point the finger at hostile foreign intelligence agencies. They can be expected to take advantage of this country’s vulnerabilities. Our civil and military intelligence agencies should be able to effectively counteract them. Regrettably, it seems to be affected by a lack of cooperation.

Unfortunately, Pakistan and the US alongside the Kabul government are locked in an unresolved argument over terrorist sanctuaries on either side of the border. Which only helps the common enemy. Mutual recriminations will not resolve anything; the two sides need to address each other’s concerns. For a time in recent months, high-level interactions between Pakistan’s civil and military leaderships and the US officials as well as Kabul government appeared to have led to a better understanding. The Nato forces killed some high profile TTP terrorists in two strikes, but they have since launched several attacks in Balochistan, KP and tribal areas. Although Kabul has toned down its anti-Pakistan rhetoric, the mistrust persists. It may take a while for the two sides to sort out the issues of contention between them. In the meanwhile, those responsible for peace and security in this country need to get their act together. Relentless terrorist strikes show gaps in security arrangements.