THE killing of 54 innocent people in the Mastung, Balochistan suicide blast on the occasion of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi is a big tragedy. It is known that 115 people were seriously injured in this incident. In 2018 too, 100 people were killed and 180 seriously injured in the Mustang explosion. On this heinous act the government and the defence forces of Pakistan have issued clear orders to bring an immediate end to the terrorist groups. The occurrence of three incidents of terrorism on the same day of Eid Milad-un-Nabi in different areas of the country indicates serious weaknesses of the writ of the state and laps in our security. Whether the reasons for the Mastung incident are communal or the message to foreign investors, it will have dire consequences in both ways.
We also have to end communalism in the country and provide foolproof security to the citizens of Pakistan as well as foreign investors also. The CPEC has become the economic lifeline of Pakistan. Thousands of Chinese engineers, technicians and workers are working in Pakistan on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) related projects. Their security should be made fool proof across the country. It is the prime responsibility of government of Pakistan to provide fool-proof security to all the Chinese working across the country so that they can fulfil their responsibilities on CPEC projects spread in different economic zones across the country without any fear.
Enough is enough. Now the time has come to eradicate terrorists mercilessly from Pakistan with an iron hand. Terrorists are the open enemies of Pakistan’s economic development. Various projects spread across the country are the guarantors of Pakistan’s economic stability. Thanks to these projects, Pakistan is progressing. But elements hostile to the development and prosperity of Pakistan do not want the completion and production of these mega projects in Pakistan so that the country cannot move forward briskly. We will have to crush the enemies of the country’s development without wasting any more time so that they cannot stand in the way of our development and economic stability. The state of Pakistan has taken very important and pivotal decision by issuing orders to make the security foolproof of Chinese experts and workers working on various projects across the country. Pakistan is already decades behind the rest of the world in terms of development. Now, when the time has come to reap the crop of CPEC, terrorists have enhanced attacks in multiple directions of the country. We will have to secure our development and prosperity by providing foolproof security to Chinese experts and workers. We will have to further develop our long-standing relationship with China by making the CPEC mega projects successful ensuring the security of the Chinese working in Pakistan.
The friendship between Pakistan and China is unbreakable. Even today, efforts are being made by enemies to create a big gulf between Pakistan and China bound in diplomatic, political, economic and cultural relations. But the state of Pakistan should take more very important decisions to destroy these country jolting intentions of the enemies forever. Ending terrorism and ensuring the security of Chinese citizens in Pakistan will lead to the promotion of investment from other countries. The government needs to prepare new plans to make the security of the Chinese residents more effective, including providing them with bullet-proof vehicles.
For more than thirty years, China has sought to manage its domestic terrorism problem in its Xinjiang province through a strategy that rests on enhanced regional economic growth, stronger internal security capabilities and deepened controls over ethnic and religious activities. For decades, China and Sri Lanka faced terrorism but both the countries have successfully overcome the monster. Xinjiang province of China and Sri Lanka have been worst-hit by the terrorists. Presently, Pakistan is the only terrorism-hit atomic power. Pakistan has been facing terrorism for the last more than three decades but still completely unsuccessful to crush terrorists. Pakistan needs to keep in mind the China’s and Sri Lanka’s evolving perception of terrorist threats, strategy and policies for combating terrorism, the institutional infrastructure that executes their counter terrorism policies, their evolving approach to international cooperation in counterterrorism and challenges of countering terrorism.
Pakistan needs to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to counter terrorism. Quite some time back, we strangely initiated a dialogue process to give terrorists a chance to lay down their arms and let their misled followers de-radicalize and return to national mainstream. It remained counter productive. Terrorists are terrorists. Once they make their minds and hold weapons for terrorism they hardly change their agenda. Terrorists in Sri Lanka and Xinjiang province of China never changed their minds for peace. They are successfully crushed by their governments with an iron hand. The government will have to crush terrorists network and on the other it will has to address issues in deprived regions of the country. The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees basic personal fundamental rights of common Pakistani citizens. It is the prime responsibility of the government and the State of Pakistan to ensure basic fundamental rights of food, education, health, employment and many others of the citizens and on the other eliminate the terrorists. China and Sri Lanka have successfully controlled this monster of terrorism in the same way.
—The writer is editor, book ambassador political analyst and author of several books based in Islamabad.
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