Fear and anxiety

BBC report

A string of deadly attacks in Pakistan in the past week, including one on the army's HQ in Rawalpindi, has highlighted the increasing militant threat ahead of a planned army offensive in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan. Here Pakistanis, for whom bomb attacks have become part of life, discuss how the army should deal with the militant threat. Khadija Ali, 20, law student, Rawalpindi I live next to the army HQ in Rawalpindi, which was under attack on Saturday. There is a lot of hype created by the media about these attacks. Yes it was a big attack and yes, there was a siege. But I didn't feel threatened in any way. The army was very effective in taking control of the situation and the world didn't come to an end. When there are frequent attacks they become second nature and they stop bothering you. You get accustomed to them. I am not saying that the loss of human life doesn't matter. Extremism is a state of mind which can only be altered through education Khadija Ali These attacks have a negative, but also a positive effect. Do you remember the video of the girl being flogged by the Taliban? That changed public opinion against the Taliban. These suicide attacks consolidate it. I can confidently say that more than 90% of people in Pakistan are against the Taliban. Five years ago the reaction was at best, confused. This is extremely important in defeating the Taliban. At this point a military operation seems the only solution. But what worries me is that innocent people will be killed. The short-term solution will be to infiltrate these areas. But more importantly, the long-term solution is education. Extremism has little to do with guns and weapons, it is a state of mind which can only be altered through education. The government needs to revise our education policies in order to end the fan-following of these bigoted mullahs.