The bomb explosion that flattened a government school in Ayazkot (North Waziristan) is not simply a grave event; it is a declaration of war on the future of Pakistan. It is no new thing, but a morbid sequel of a policy which has been haunting our tribal districts for years. This attack reflects a dark mindset that seeks to take books from children’s hands and deliberately dim their dreams.
The activities of the extremist group over the last twenty years have rendered one thing clear: the educated generation is their biggest fear. They are frightened by young people who realize the strength of sense, awareness, and development. We saw this fear in the burning of girls’ schools by the Taliban from 2007 to 2014, the cruel attacks on teachers, and the ultimate horror of the Army Public School (APS) tragedy. To these extremists, education is the means through which the fear and ignorance cycle is broken, and this is why they attempt to halt it.
Although the military campaigns such as Zarb-e-Azb and Khyber have managed to stop this cycle of bloodshed, there are still avenues through which the extremist networks re-intersect with each other, sometimes with the assistance of safe havens across the border in Afghanistan.
In 2025, the rising attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan demonstrate that these groups are again trying their old formula: to destabilize the tribal areas and stop development altogether. They primarily attack education, since burning down a school is the quickest method of weakening the control of the state, terrorizing the populace, and penalizing the local tribes that have stood up to face the terrorists with courage.
In response, the Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies have worked tirelessly, clearing dangerous areas, rebuilding schools, and setting up cadet colleges and Army Public Schools. They have even offered scholarships to the local young people. Their commitment to providing opportunities is admirable.
But the tragedy of Ayaz Kot remains a scar. Overnight, the future of 600 children was suspended, not only by the burning of a building, but by the burning of a sapling growing to a better future, a dream for which many people sacrificed their lives. However, the real story here is not the attack itself, but the response of the people.
The militants have failed to achieve their ultimate goal: breaking the resolve of the people of North Waziristan. The tribes rise again after each explosion. They repair their schools, they take their children, and they raise the lamp of knowledge even higher. Local tribes are growing stronger in their devotion and making distinctions between friends and foes, and they tend to blame groups such as the TTP or the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group for this darkness.
The incident of the attack in Ayaz Kot continues to remind us that the struggle for progress is not yet over. Still, the irrepressible will of the Pakistani nation is a louder proclamation: education in Pakistan will not cease. The enemy can blow out that lamp as many times as he pleases, but the light will come back. We must make it shine even brighter than ever.
