Terrorism may be termed as acts of violence, ranging from verbal abuse to sadomasochism----a fundamental tendency that associates pleasure with the affliction of pain, culminating in various forms of depression, implying intense fear, horror, panic and fright to which the victims may be subjected to. From domestic violence to those evils committed in the wider social context are also called acts of terrorism. The current day scientific and technological advancements have transformed this phenomenon into an uncontrollable monster for the entire humanity. The stark reality is that it is the technologically developed countries that are to be credited for developing chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, which they now find are easily accessed or can be stolen to be used by others. This is exactly the reason why it has dawned upon the major countries to “realize” that it is best to destroy the extremist outfits, who are fighting around the globe in the numerous theaters of ongoing wars within various societies. The major power brokers of the world fear that the human mind has itself become so “weaponised” by the social context in which it lives that the lethal and destructive potentials are available to the terrorist for their tactical and strategic ends in the same manner as are available to the powerful countries. Pakistan is one such country where diverse priorities of ruling elite and the masses, state repression, foreign conspiracies, Afghanistan problem, organized insurgencies, ethno-lingual and sectarian contradictions have grown into an increasing brutalization in the environment. In a chartered territory of terrorism like Pakistan where extremism is the norm of the day, there is a call for the need for new strategies and meaningful practical steps for a peaceful resolution of conflicts through accommodation of aggrieved groups and social justice for all. This study on the phenomenon of terrorism attempts to frame blueprints of action to curb this menace arising out to the views expressed by a deeply concerned public opinion.

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