Militancy, suicidal attacks, bomb blasts, target killings, sectarian strife, ethnic violence and, most recently, the cold blooded murder of people belonging to the shia community, after being hauled off from buses in Kohistan area and almost similar mass murders of Hazaras – shia community – in Balochistan earlier, are not some disjointed or random instances of militancy or sectarianism, but very much part of a systematic and well organised operation. In fact, Pakistan is being subjected to a methodically planned and professionally executed covert (hidden) war.

This covert war has both internal and external dimensions. It cannot be denied that a lot of what is happening is because of our own misdeeds over the years, resulting in the radicalisation of the society. Yet, external interference has played the proverbial role of “adding fuel to the fire”. Let there be no doubt that external manipulation exploiting and aggravating skilfuly internal dissensions has pushed Pakistan to the brink.