Each incident of terrorism is assumed to be a temporary spike that could fizzle out immediately afterwards. Security forces become active, trace the handler, and announce that they have reached or eliminated the mastermind. Then another similar episode follows with even greater ferocity. This persistent pattern continues to beset Pakistan, with one incident of terrorism after another.

On February 6, in Islamabad, a suicide bomber attacked an Imambargah (Shia mosque) during Friday prayers, killing 36 people instantly and injuring more than 160. A militant group calling itself the Islamic State (Daesh) claimed responsibility for the atrocity.

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In a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat, President Asif Ali Zardari said, “Pakistan has long maintained that terrorism cannot be confronted by a single country in isolation… when terrorist groups are allowed space, facilitation, or impunity beyond national borders, the consequences are borne by innocent civilians all over the world.” This is how Pakistan dilutes the gravity of terrorism ravaging its society.

The challenge posed by a suicide attack is that the suicide bomber perishes with the act; he cannot be arrested or punished. The search for the mastermind offers some solace to the public, suggesting that retribution will be carried out and justice will be served. In reality, it simply means that the duo—the offender and the mastermind—continues to wreak havoc in society. Against this backdrop, attempts to generalise the causes and effects of........

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