Peshawer Church blast: The Menace of Takfeer and its Solution.

The recent attack on a church in Peshawar is yet again a reminder that we should not surrender to the ignorance and barbarity of the few groups in Pakistan who are time and again pricking our nerves and testing our resilience and resolve. There is no solution but to wipe out theses extremist elements who are killing innocent people and minorities, carrying out suicide attacks in mosques and Imam bargahs from Quetta to Peshawar and from Karachi to Dir.

PKKH strongly condemns the brutal killings of our Christian brothers in a twin suicide attack in a church in Peshawar. PKKH stands by the victims in their time of grief and distress, and requests the authorities to understand and act on this seriously crucial matter at this very fragile time.

We have to rightly identify our enemy and the nation needs a consensus at this particular moment, and this is what we need to understand as a nation now. Since a decade, we are arguing over ‘our war’ and ‘their war’; we need to understand that this extremism is our war and we have to fight it out, no matter what. There should be no confusion regarding that militancy in Pakistan has an annihilating ideology, towards both Islam and Pakistan. There is no point in negotiating with the people who will ultimately break and destroy us. It is high time weidentify our ‘enemy’ – the ‘Takfiris’ misusing and destroying the name of Islam for their every murder and bloodshed.

Today’s barbaric blast in a church is a slap in the face of all the apologists who insisted and propagated that we should engage in talks with the TTP. There is absolutely no room for a dialogue with the ones whose actions are based on an ideology that is itself against Islam. These ‘TTP Takfiri Kharijites’ should have to be dealt with withstrong arms and not negotiations.

Still, even after an appalling incident of the martyrdom of a Major General, some of the political elites are pushing to negotiate with these extremist elements and trying to justify their policies and stance. We have to be crystal clear on the matters of national security, particularly this one; right now, we need a national consensus and action. Today’s gruesome events once again reveal that there cannot be any talks with the TTP until and unless we push them in a corner, break their backs and force them to surrender unconditionally. We cannot and should not even consider having conditional talks with these elements.

The most disturbing part is to observe the insensitivity of the political parties towards the losses and their policies towards the radical elements. Time and again, the PML-N has been accused of being in a covert alliance with LeJ, which is very visible from their leniency towards them. Now the PTI has been accused of being in coalition with JI, and their policies are quite reflective of this accusation. Both the PTI and the PML-N should come out of this impression of peace talks, as more delay means more chaos and bloodshed.

As a nation, we have to come up with a strong policy and a consensus to deal with this issue. To curb this decade long menace of terrorism, we should use soft power, not to lure the ‘Takfiris’ but to prepare the minds of our masses for a fight against this threat. Ulema and Islamic scholars should come forward and play their role effectively, by rising above mere condemnations, unanimously declaring these ‘Takfiri Kharijites’ as enemies of Islam and Pakistan. Academic scholars and researchers working on this area should make a guide to educate themasses about these elements and their ideology and methodology. They should formulate a volume for mass awareness and education on this particular issue. We should use hard power with full force, clarity and determination to throttle this phenomenon of terrorism. The phenomenon of the “kharijites” or the “Takfiris” is not something new is Islamic History; therefore, one can easily derive a concrete and pragmatic policy and a course of action in the light of Ahadeeth (the Prophet’s statements) and Quran to counter this threat.

Every political party, whether it is the PML-N, the  JI, the PTI or any apologist should be aware of the consequences of giving the room of re-entry to these TTP ignorants in our cities and villages. Pakistan is passing through sensitive turns and difficult routes; we cannot afford to see these radical elements entering our homes and stalking our streets for more bloodshed.  As Gen Kiyani stated, we have the capability of taking the war to them. So there should be no more delay in fighting/countering what we know is wrong, and the writ of the state should be firmly established with an iron hand.