After years of turning a collective blind eye to the Islamist menace, ordinary Pakistanis are using the Facebook and text messages to take on the extremists in the country.
Many Pakistanis, who were shocked to see part of the country ceded to Taliban, seem more determined than ever to take on the militants as the urban centres in the country come under the increasing onslaught of the militants.
Young women, who were outraged by a video showing the Taliban flogging a minor girl in NWFP's Swat, felt under threat as college girls in Pakistan's most cosmopolitan city Lahore were warned by the extremists to cover their heads and give up jeans.
Sadaffe Abid, a 35-year-old chief executive of a foundation providing microfinance for rural women, was pushed into activism when she felt the impact of last week's massive bomb blast in Lahore.
Pakistanis like her began a letter-writing campaign to tell the government and army chief not to give in to the militants, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.
Abid, who until recently never thought the Taliban were anything to do with her, told friends to "come out on to the streets to protest against these militants".'
"This bomb was meant to turn public opinion against the army operation to clear the Taliban from Swat, and we shouldn't give in," she was quoted telling her friends by the British daily on Sunday.
