THE speed, scale and intensity with which the law-enforcing agencies responded to the alarming surge in terrorist activities in Balochistan has sent an unambiguous message to all that the State would not forgive those who have the blood of the innocent people on their hands. It is also a reflection of the fact that Pakistan Army and other agencies are fully alive to the threat and prepared to respond firmly to foil designs of those trying to destabilize the largest province of the country at a time when its people saw a ray of hope vis-à-vis improvement in their socio-economic conditions due to large-scale developmental activities initiated in the province by the Federal Government and especially in close cooperation with China.
The nature of the attacks that took place in different parts of Balochistan during the last few days leaves no doubt in the mind of the people that terrorists and their handlers want to deprive the people of the province fruits of development and create a wedge between Baloch and people of other provinces. The foreign trained and aided terrorists struck with full force different targets and as a result at least 51 people including ten soldiers and four law-enforcers were martyred in three districts of the province on Sunday night and Monday. They attacked police stations, paramilitary camp and levies stations and after blocking highways at various points, they offloaded people from buses, trucks and other vehicles and shot dead 23 people, mostly belonging to south Punjab, in Musakhail district of Balochistan. Officials said that terrorists attacked police and levies stations in Kalat and Mastung districts and martyred 11 people including four levies personnel and a police sub-inspector in Kalat, while six bodies were found in Kolpur area of Bolan district. To give an impression of a mutiny, the provincial capital Quetta’s railway links was cut off with the rest of the country as a British-era bridge was blown up by militants at the main railway line near Kolpur (Bolan district), which connects Balochistan with Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. The militants also blew up another railway track near Mastung, connecting Pakistan with Iran. In a cold-blood incident at Loralai-Dera Ghazi Khan highway armed militants blocked the highway at Rara Shram area, stopped buses, trucks, passenger wagons and other vehicles, identified people with the help of their computerized national identity cards (CNICs), offloaded 23 people and shot them dead on-the-spot. Militants not only killed passengers but also truck drivers, burnt their vehicles and looted goods. Officials said that armed terrorists blocked many highways, including Mastung, Kalat, Bela, Turbat, Panjgur, Coastal highway and many other areas. A group of militants blocked Quetta-Karachi highway near Khadkocha area and stormed the Thana. Armed men also attacked levies station, two hotels and the house of a tribal elder and set the Toll Plaza on fire at national highway. Banned Baloch Liberation claimed responsibility for the attacks and killings and said that the Majeed brigade of BLA carried out the attacks. They said two suicide bombers including a female crashed their vehicle with the main gate of the FC camp in Bela. All this shows how entrenched the terrorists are and that there was an urgent need to initiate a full-fledged operation to neutralize the threat as the country cannot afford such destructive activities at a time when all out efforts are being made to bring Balochistan at par with other provinces. Regrettably, the blame for this massacre and large-scale disruptive activities is shared by those who spare no opportunity to criticize the Pakistan Army and the law enforcing agencies, which are doing nothing but discharging their responsibility of protecting lives and properties of the people in the face of a well-knit conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan and terrorize its people. We have lost much time in a state of indecision because of adverse propaganda against the legitimate activities of the law-enforcers, who instead need complete backing of the entire nation to defeat the enemy. The very fact that in a lightning response, the law enforcing agencies killed 21 terrorists in three districts of Balochistan is living proof that they are capable of addressing the challenge but their task would become easier if all segments of the society extend a helping hand for the purpose.
