Sir: Within 24 years of the birth of our beloved Pakistan, we lost half the country. Who was to blame for this tragedy is a long story. However, the sad part is that we have not learnt any lessons. If we had we would not be in the state we are in today. The thinking of our leaders — past and present — is either to buy up people or beat them into submission. A holistic approach needs to be taken where it is clear to all that by following the rules one can live a clean life. But by not doing so, one will face the full force of the law. It is only then that Pakistan will become the country we all desperately want it to be. Till then we will keep wondering when another attack will take place or when another prisoner is hanged. The war against terrorism should not be the biggest factor in our lives. There are many more things that come before it. Syed Hussein El-Edroos Islamabad