For years, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been bleeding. One tragedy follows another, one funeral follows another, and another family is added to the long and painful list of those who have lost their loved ones to terrorism and violence. The people of this province have endured explosions, attacks, fear, displacement and economic hardship for far too long. Yet they continue to stand, to serve, to work and to hope. But once again, that fragile hope has been shattered in Kohat. The latest attack near the Police Lines during Friday prayers has claimed at least 16 precious lives and injured 57 people, according to the latest official reports.

Sixteen lives. Sixteen families whose worlds have changed forever.
But the tragedy does not end with the death toll. Every terrorist attack leaves behind another, less visible casualty: the economy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A shopkeeper who closes his business because of insecurity loses his daily income. A labourer who cannot find work loses the means to feed his family. A trader who stops travelling to an affected district loses his market. An investor who sees repeated violence stays away. A tourist who no longer feels safe chooses another destination. A farmer whose access to markets is disrupted suffers losses. A young person who cannot find employment sees his future becoming darker with every passing year.

This is how terrorism destroys a society—not only through bullets and explosions, but through the slow destruction of economic opportunity.
And this is where the question becomes even more painful: Who cares about these losses?

Who will compensate the family whose breadwinner is killed? Who will compensate the small businessman whose shop remains closed? Who will compensate the labourer whose daily wage disappears? Who will rebuild investor confidence? Who will create employment for young people whose province has spent years under the shadow of insecurity? Who will compensate the province for the economic opportunities that disappear every time violence returns?

These are not merely questions for one department or one government. They are questions for the Federal Government, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Parliament, security institutions and every institution responsible for the economic and social wellbeing of the people.

Security is essential, but security alone is not enough. A province cannot permanently live in a cycle in which violence destroys livelihoods, poverty deepens, unemployment increases and another generation grows up surrounded by insecurity.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa needs a comprehensive programme of recovery alongside the fight against terrorism. Areas repeatedly affected by violence need special economic attention, rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure, support for businesses, employment opportunities, investment incentives and effective mechanisms to compensate those who have suffered direct and indirect economic losses.

But acknowledgement must become action.
The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have sacrificed enough. Their police officers have sacrificed enough. Their soldiers have sacrificed enough. Their families have sacrificed enough. And their economy has sacrificed enough.
Enough blood. Enough tears. Enough funerals. Enough fear.
How much more can one province be expected to endure?

The sacrifices of our security forces deserve our deepest respect. The men and women of the police and other security institutions who stand between terrorists and ordinary citizens are protecting not merely buildings and roads; they are protecting the possibility of a normal life.
Many have paid for that duty with their lives. Many families have received the unbearable news that a husband, father, son or brother will never return home. We must never allow these sacrifices to become mere statistics in government statements or headlines that disappear after a few days.

But we must also recognise the extraordinary sacrifice of the ordinary people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They have continued to send their children to school. They have continued to open their shops. They have continued to cultivate their fields. They have continued to travel, trade and work. They have continued to live.
That resilience must not be taken for granted.

Pakistan cannot expect the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to continue paying the human and economic price indefinitely without a comprehensive national response.
The question is no longer simply, “When will this stop?”

There is another question that is equally important: “Who will take responsibility for what has already been destroyed?”
Who will rebuild the economy? Who will restore livelihoods? Who will bring investment back?

Who will create jobs? Who will support the families who have lost their breadwinners? Who will rehabilitate those whose businesses and homes have been destroyed? And, above all, who will ensure that the next generation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa does not inherit the same cycle of bloodshed, fear and deprivation?

This is not merely an issue of security. It is an issue of human dignity and economic survival.
A child growing up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should not have to understand the sound of an explosion before understanding the promise of a peaceful future. A mother should not have to worry whether her son will return safely from work. A policeman should not have to become a martyr simply because he chose to serve his country. A businessman should not have to abandon an investment because of insecurity. A young graduate should not have to leave his province because there are no opportunities at home.

And a province that has contributed countless sacrifices to the security of Pakistan should not be left struggling with poverty, unemployment and damaged infrastructure as the price of those sacrifices.

The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deserve peace. They deserve security. They deserve investment. They deserve employment. They deserve functioning infrastructure. They deserve opportunities for their children. And they deserve a government response proportionate to the enormous price they have paid.

Today, Kohat is mourning. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is mourning. Pakistan is mourning.
Our prayers are with every family that has lost a loved one, every injured person fighting for recovery and every security official standing once again on the frontline.
May Allah Almighty grant eternal peace to those who have lost their lives, grant patience and strength to their families, and give a speedy recovery to the injured.

But after the prayers and condolences, there must be action.
Because the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa do not need sympathy alone. They need peace. They need security. They need economic opportunity. They need livelihoods. They need hope. And they need to know that their sacrifices and the destruction inflicted upon their province have not been forgotten.

Enough blood. Enough tears.
How many more lives must be lost before we collectively decide that this cannot continue? How many more families must mourn? How many more young people must grow up with fear instead of hope? How much more economic damage can Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sustain?

The people of this province have demonstrated extraordinary courage and resilience. Our security forces have demonstrated extraordinary courage and sacrifice. The least they deserve is a determined national effort to secure their future.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa does not ask for pity.
It asks for peace.
It asks for security.
It asks for opportunity.
It asks for a future in which its children can live without fear and its people can earn their livelihoods without the constant shadow of violence.
The question, therefore, is not only, “When will this bloodshed stop?”
It is also the question that has haunted this province for far too long:
“When will Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finally find peace?”

Dr Alamdar Hussain Malik
Advisor Academics, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Swat.
Former Secretary/Registrar, Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC)