Seeking nation's help

THE decision that the troika - President, Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff - took at Islamabad on Saturday about taking the Parliament into confidence on meeting the challenge posed by the War On Terror has long been the demand of various political parties and the media. That should constitute the first step in taking the nation along in the most vexing issue of the day that has, for one thing, created a countrywide sense of insecurity. For another, how the authorities have acted in shaping the course of events since 9/11 while trying to defeat the menace of militancy has sharpened divisions among different sections of society. The presence of ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan at the meeting held at the Presidency was quite appropriate considering that not only he is a major stakeholder, he had also recently been the missed target of a suicide bomber.