Pakistan needs leaders to battle Taliban: daily

Islamabad, Dec 18: Pakistan needs to do a lot more to fight terrorism but more than anything else it needs leaders who can take up the challenge, a leading newspaper said Thursday.

"Now, more than ever, the entire country has a stake in the war against an enemy that is ready to strike against us at any time," The News International said in an editorial.

"This is not a faraway war being fought against a distant enemy. The war declared on the country by the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) has made us all targets.

"We deserve leaders with the courage to not just wage this war but to trust us with the truth about how it is faring," the daily said.

More than 140 children and teachers were massacred when gunmen linked to the TTP stormed a Pakistan Army-run school in Peshawar city Tuesday in one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in the world.

They principal of the school was burnt in front of her students as she attempted to evacuate as many children as she could.

The News asked if Pakistan and its citizens had learnt any lessons from the Peshawar tragedy.

It said it was debatable if the lifting of the ban on capital punishment would "help control terror ... given what international figures show us.

"But the decision will be uncontroversial in a nation out for revenge against the TTP for the way it slaughtered our children."

Pakistan, it said, urgently needed a witness protection programme "that is trusted" and added that foolproof security should be provided for those whose job it was to convict militants.

"We need a comprehensive counterterrorism set up, something the government has been negligent in doing."

IANS