American Journal of Social Science Research Vol. 1, No. 4, 2015, pp. 196-205 http://www.aiscience.org/journal/ajssr Impacts of “School Terrorism” in the Milieu of Peshawar Incident; Pakistan’s Black Day, December 16th, 2014 Syed Sajjad Nasir Kazmi 1, Arshad Ali 2, * 1Department of Civil Engineering, MCE Risalpur Cantonment, KPK, Pakistan 2National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan Abstract Mankind has been suffering the disasters of many a types which had either been natural or manmade. All the geophysical and the hydro-metrological disasters are related to the nature but all anthropogenic disasters are related to the actions of the human- beings, whether covert or overt on one pretext or the other. One thing common for all is that these have deep penetrating impacts on the humans with respect to their way of life in the performance of gendered roles, usage of property and assets, balance of trade and economy as well as the layout of politico military and psychosocial infrastructure. Capacity building strategies too had been evolved to deal with and recover from all such impacts of disasters but the worst among all are the psychosocial impacts on women and especially on children which are time consuming to heal with. On one hand, a disaster may have huge volumetric effect but negligible impact on the psychosocial build up and vice versa depending upon the degree of human vulnerability and severity of the impact. As opposed to the natural or other manmade disasters, terrorism has its own significance in this context and among all other multidimensional aspects of terrorism, “School Terrorism” is considered to be worst carrying drastic and long lasting impacts on the exposed community. The paper in questions reviews the disaster of terrorism in totality with specific emphasis on “School Terrorism” in the backdrop of “Peshawar Incident” on December 16 th , 2014. Keywords Terrorism, School Terrorism, Talibans and Talibanization Received: April 7, 2015 / Accepted: June 27, 2015 / Published online: July 15, 2015 @ 2015 The Authors. Published by American Institute of Science. This Open Access article is under the CC BY-NC license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ their children's watching TV. 35% children had the symptoms 1. Introduction of acute stress while 47 % others were too stressed for their own safety as well as the safety of their near and dears; [2]. September the 11 th, 2001 gave a new dimension to the In September 2001, Pakistan stood by the International disaster events in the shape of “State Terrorism” when the Community for war against terror and was thus declared as USA was under attack by Al-Qaida hijackers / terrorists at the front line state. That’s how, disaster of terrorism got 10:30 am thus demolishing the famous Twin Towers to the imported in Pakistan soon after the arrival of US lead NATO ground zero thus killing 2,977 victims and the 19 hijackers forces in Afghanistan. Irrespective of the debatable question [1]. Right at that time, US President George W. Bush was on whether Pakistan had been fighting somebody else’s war or a visit to the Emma. E. Booker Elementary School in its own war on terror, but the fact remains that its’ her own Sarasota; Cryptome (2001). In US alone, 84 % parents or war, not only at the door step rather well inside it. Besides adults in the family discussed about their children for an hour thousands of causalities and billions of losses, hundreds of or more about the attacks on WTC where as 34 % restricted * Corresponding author E-mail address: [email protected] (A. Ali) American Journal of Social Science Research Vol. 1, No. 4, 2015, pp. 196-205 197 the schools have been destroyed, especially the girls schools prevailed from 1878–1908 until the arrival of “Golden Age” while also hitting quite a no. of school vans killing several terrorism through Lenin and Stalin. The “State Terrorism” hundred school going boys and girls at various intervals but existed in the times of war i.e. World War I & II to the wars the incident of terrorist attack on Army Public School & of national liberation. At last, the roots of Islamic radicalism Degree College, Peshawar on 16 th December 2014 has not spread giving birth to Al-Qaida in the Cold War era [5]. The only shaken the entire nation but also has astounded the first Mesopotamian Empire was raised as the Assyrian international communities. Military Empire (Sargon of Akkad) which was founded on terror whose brutality was aimed “to crush the spirit and 1.1. Problem Statement break the will” . Later it was pronounced with the word Henceforth, Pakistani Nation has been fighting the war on “violence” to pin the rebellion and as a tool of enslavement terror since past one and a half decade or so while paying a and as a guarantor of mass obedience. “State Terrorism” heavy price of peace. On the overall, Pakistan nation has whether covert or overt, had been haunted as war’s monster suffered more than 80,000 causalities on account of terrorism for centuries and an act of mass murder. Once unleashed, it alone, inclusive Pakistan Army which suffered a no. of can set the constrain behaviour without the necessity of approximate 49000 life loss from September 2001 to 2008 fighting. Same terror and violence methods were used by the and later 15681 till date [3]. Pakistan has suffered a total loss Mongols and the Tamerlane to reduce cities without having of about US$ 100 billion/- in last 14 years of war on terror to resort to siege [6]. The main aim of terrorism is to terrorize, (as against official losses of US$ 68 billion in fiscal year in order to set the course of illegitimate use of violence in the 2010/11 due to military operations from September 2001 till terrorist like activities. The history also predicts the most date [4]. It is a high time now that the terrorists have laid notorious forms of contemporary terrorism in the religious their filthy hands on innocent “School Children” directly dimension, not withstanding its political objectives e.g. hitting the psychosocial fabric of the community while not Jewish zealots of the first century and the Ismaili assassins th th only challenging the writ of the state but also making the from 11 to the 13 century; [7]. This religious aspect of community to bend in a knee knelt position to accept their terrorism had long been the central pivot of most societies terms, yet a hard target to win. which prevail even now. 1.2. Study Significance 1.4.2. Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) came into being in 2002 The study entails the deep insight of triggering event of th “School Terrorism” thus marking December 16 th , 2014 as (post September the 11 , 2001), when Pakistan Army “Black Day” for Pakistan as far as its educational executed planned operations in Federally Administered Tribal infrastructure is concerned. Areas – FATA (consisting of seven agencies) to evict the foreign militants (Arabs and Central Asians i.e. Uzbeks and 1.3. Study Objective Tajiks), who had fled from the war in Afghanistan (with Russia-Cold War) to Pakistan. TTP is currently based in The paper under review dilates upon the upsurge of “School FATA and PATA (Provincially Administered Tribal Area i.e. Terrorism” in Pakistan and its impacts on the community in Dir and Swat area) along the Durand Line having deep roots the backdrop of “School Shooting” at Peshawar (provincial in Afghanistan. TTP contains those assassins and fighters capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw-KPK) on December 16 th , who had fought (pre cold war period) or still had been 2014; Pakistan’s Black Day with a view to recommend fighting against NATO forces (in cold war period) in practical measures for designing and developing strategies at Afghanistan. TTP declared its leadership under Baitullah community and at National Level to end this menace. Mehsud (December 2007-August 2009) followed by 1.4. Literature Review Hakimullah Mehsud [8]. TTP was not only banned by Govt of Pakistan but also declared as the terrorist organization on Following are the areas of major concern to focus:- 25 August 2008. TTP though not directly, but partially 1.4.1. Historical Perspective of Terrorism remained affiliated with Tehrik Afghan Taliban (TAT), which ruled Afghanistan for four years in post cold war era, after The word terror has a Latin origin from the word “Terrere ” the assassination of Dr. Najibullah, former Afghan president. which means “to make tremble ”. The prehistoric period of For its malicious and dual agenda of resisting Pakistan state terrorism is as old as the manifestations of terror through the laws to establish their own version of Shariah (Caliphate), ages of zealots and assassins from 1789 to 1968 AD. The TTP regards democracy “harram” (forbidden) while at the invention of modern terror introduced the “Anarchist same time supporting Talibanization in Afghanistan. TTP is Terrorists ” of the19 th Century. The Russian Terrorism also considered to have associations with Al Qaeda for 198 Syed Sajjad Nasir Kazmi and Arshad Ali: Impacts of “School Terrorism” in the Milieu of Peshawar Incident; Pakistan’s Black Day, December 16 th , 2014 having played a role in “Times Square” car bomb explosion learning the use of weapons e.g. Red Mosque in Islamabad. [9]. Shariah of Taliban is basically Deobandi in origin pertaining to the “Daar-ul-Uloom” located at Deoband, India. It has now many off shoots throughout the subcontinent and many other 2. Study Design & Methodology countries of the world. The study is primarily qualitative in its design to find out the 3.5.