Pakistan, March 18 -- For two decades, Pakistan's soldiers have bled into the soil they defend-8,000 souls since 2001, 500 more in 2023 alone-their sacrifice a testament to valour. Yet, the civilian leadership's promise to revive the National Action Plan (NAP) remains a script read aloud but never staged: 12 of 20 points ignored, deradicalisation sidelined, and banned groups rebranded under new aliases. While soldiers clear trenches, the state's inertia clears paths for terror's return.

Numbers do not lie. The military cleared 90% of former FATA post-2014, yet terrorism resurges like monsoon floods. Why? Because the civilian apparatus refuses to build dams. The 380 security personnel martyred in 2023 underscore a crisis metastasising bey...