Today there were two suicide attacks in Pakistan, killing at least 37 and wounding at least 65. Two suicide attacks start off the week, continue to terrorize citizens, and to a great extent, end several UN programs.

In Rawalpindi, a suicide bomber detonated outside a bank, as men and women lined up in the heat to collect their salaries. At a checkpoint near Lahore, it was a white Suzuki that caught the eye of police officers, men with reliable instincts and a desire to protect civilians. They tried to stop it from entering the city and that was when it exploded.

In an earlier post, I wrote about the very clear signs that extremist attacks would no longer be limited to the far corners of the country. These attacks confirm it, and confirm something else, too: international aid groups fear for the safety of their workers and are pulling out.

The most obvious example of this is the United Nations. Its tireless work in the region has been overshadowed by the killings of UN workers. The attack on the UN World Food Program shocked Pakistanis and the world…how could an organization that worked to feed the poor be a possible target? The workers were Muslims — three men, two Pakistani and an Iraqi and two Pakistani women paid the ultimate price for their jobs in public service.

Are we going to let these brutes rip apart the lives of hard-working Pakistanis and prevent a brother from helping his own? Is that the kind of country they chase after, a barren wasteland of death and desolation?

Is that what they want?

It doesn’t much matter. The Zardari administration has decided failure is not an option, and will continue to work against extremism — short-term strategies include military offensives, long-term includes economic development and education. This, of course, is where we will sorely miss the NGOs if they cut activities due to security risks. It is a tough battle, but Pakistanis are strong-minded and will win.

The journalists and career-politicians attacking government initiatives should compare how easy it is for them to write rubbish and have checks float their way to that man who waited in line at the bank to collect his check and was massacred. By chasing their few minutes of fame with hyperbolic statements, these people give extremists the opening to continue and bolster their power.

Is this what they want?