Asif Mahmood 

The terror attacks were decisively repelled and the terrorists eliminated, reflecting a swift and effective response by Pakistan’s security forces. Pakistan is confronting a hydra-headed monster of terrorism, yet the nation remains resolute in facing it head on. This moment once again lays bare the moral and strategic bankruptcy of the terrorist outfits. Within Pakistan, there are still elements who, while facilitating these terrorists, hide behind excuses and conditional arguments. The nation must now recognise that the time for “ifs” and “buts” has passed. This is a moment for moral clarity, national resolve, and an unequivocal rejection of all forms of terrorism and its enablers. For years, the BLA has claimed to fight for the rights of the Baloch people. Yet, time and again, its bullets find unarmed civilians, its bombs tear through buses and markets, and its so called operations target the weakest members of society. Today was no different. The harsh truth is that the BLA is trapped in a futile struggle. Misguided by external handlers and driven by hollow slogans, it continues to mislead segments of Balochistan’s population for nefarious designs that have nothing to do with genuine rights or development. Every attack further alienates the very people it claims to represent. Every act of terror deepens the mistrust and suffering within Balochistan itself. Those who sit across borders and bankroll such violence should also take note. Their investment in these proxies has produced nothing but failure. Poor planning, weak execution, and predictable outcomes have turned these groups into expendable tools rather than effective actors. Today’s events once again proved that these outfits lack both strategic vision and popular support. All they leave behind is chaos and grief. In contrast, there is another story that deserves to be told. It is the story of Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies and security forces. Once again, they responded with professionalism, courage, and clarity of purpose. In difficult terrain, under immense pressure, they confronted the attackers and neutralised the threat before it could grow even larger. Many paid the ultimate price doing so. Their sacrifice is not abstract. It has names, faces, families, and children who will grow up knowing their parent stood between terror and innocent lives. Balochistan is vast, rugged, and often isolated. Militants have long tried to use this remoteness as cover. The outcome of what militants boastfully describe as operations like Herof 2 only reinforces one fact. Their planning is hollow, their execution flawed, and their end inevitable. One by one, they are being eliminated by the very forces they claim they can defeat. Violence has brought them no closer to their goals, only closer to their own destruction. For Pakistan, this is not merely a security challenge. It is a test of resolve, patience, and unity. The people of Balochistan deserve schools instead of graves, jobs instead of checkpoints born of fear, and hope instead of headlines of bloodshed. Terrorism offers them none of this. Today, as the nation mourns its dead, it must also stand firm. Pakistan will not surrender its citizens to fear, nor will it allow criminals masquerading as insurgents to dictate its future. The path forward lies in justice, development, and an unyielding stand against those who choose the language of terror. Let it be repeated again : the time for “ifs” and “buts” has passed. This is a moment for moral clarity, national resolve, and an unequivocal rejection of all forms of terrorism and its enablers.