Current Events

In a dilapidated hall of what was once a prestigious college in a small city of the troubled border-state that had seen many decades of ethnic cleansing and terrorism, the young, energetic and dynamic cabinet minister of the newly elected central government was speaking to a large audience of students, teachers, soldiers and out-of-work businessmen.

"We must build roads, factories, schools, colleges, dams, bridges, hospitals, vocational institutions, skill-training centers, and invest in many such projects if we want to bring in more employment opportunities and provide a real boost to the development of this state; we don't want the youth of the state to experience any longer a sense of alienation, hopelessness and despair, because we have seen how severe deprivation makes them an easy prey to the destructive ideology being regularly fed by the separatists and other extremists.

But let me also say this to everyone present here that our government will have a zero-tolerance policy toward all kinds of terrorism and extremism, and we will do all that is necessary to eradicate this poison, using all constitutional and law-enforcement means available to the government.

We believe a two-pronged approach is needed: development of the state is most essential to bring a sense of hope and optimism for the future, and dealing with the terrorist groups and other anti-national elements  is like cleaning the house in the present...."

While the photographers present in the room got busy clicking their shots amidst the thunderous applause and cheering of the audience, there was no one to witness the gut-wrenching sight of two teenagers, a boy and a girl, being blown away to pieces as a bomb exploded in what used to be the college library, the spot where the young lovebirds had been hiding to steal their first kiss while their friends and peers were occupied with the minister's speech.

*****
Linking this with Five Sentence Fiction, prompt: Conflict