Schools could be the next terror targets

Schools across Pakistan could be facing the wrath of terrorism now, military schools in Karachi and Hyderabad have been closed down for a week and other schools have been told to take strict security measures as all the schools have been put on high alert. According to ‘AlJazeera’,  “A number of private and government schools were also considering a temporary closure on Sunday following the military schools’ announcement, Pakistani security officials said.”   I also got a notice from my school today, saying that the school is on high alert due to security concerns, and no one would be allowed to enter/leave school without proper identification.

While we are all aware of the security hazards, closing the schools down seems to be no solution. Prominent Pakistani blogger, Teeth Maestro, commenting on my status on facebook, quite rightly pointed out that “calling schools off in anticipation should be more with a direct plan, not an evasionary scare tactic.” Terrorists don’t have a specific time frame in which they will attack, they can create chaos anytime, anywhere. If closing down the schools for one week seems to be the solution, what about the next week ?

The Government must devise a proper strategy in this regard, dealing with these terrorists is not a joke. We have already seen how they forced schools to shut down in Swat, and in some cases even destroyed them.

Personally though, even after all these threats, I am not afraid of going to school. Awareness though should be created among the school going children of Pakistan, which I have come to observe are not aware of the dangerous world we live in.

Update: A bomb blast has just taken place in Islamic University, Islamabad, prompting the Sindh government to shut down schools and colleges across Sindh till Sunday.

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Pakistan: Situation Deteriorating.

A well coordinated attack on the Army HQ in Rawalpindi followed by today’s multiple attacks in Lahore and Peshawar, the terrorists are again at work. Instead of the usual suicide bombing which we were used to see, the terrorists are now deploying the Mumbai (26/11)  style of attacks, armed with automatic rifles and hand grenades.

It amazes me to see how easily the terrorists were able to penetrate into the Army HQ, managed to kill 6 of our soldiers, and those five or six terrorists caused so much havoc that our Army had to call in its SSG commandos to battle the terrorists. Today we saw how the terrorists yet again showed their skills, by attacking three sites in Lahore, in a matter of hours. A Police Training Academy, a building of the FIA (Federal Investigation Authority) and an elite police training center. And just about an hour ago from now, a bomb blast struck in Peshawar, killing a child and several injured.

This is just going out of control, its about time that emergency be declared in the country and security steps should be taken on war footing. Elite forces of the police and the military which are being used to protect our useless politicians should be stationed at all the sensitive locations. CCTV cameras should be installed in all the locations where the security agencies feel that a security threat exists. Most importantly, the Government must pay heed to intelligence reports, which usually have information about when and where the terrorists can strike. In fact, a special anti terror cell should be set up within the ISI, whose only job would be to inform the government and security agencies about terrorists whereabouts and plans. Moreover, a special Anti-Terrorist squad should be set up, consisting of well trained security personnel, headed by a reputable Ex Army general.

If concrete steps are not taken now, Pakistan may turn into another Afghanistan, soon.

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