SECURITY forces deserve credit for successfully foiling a major terrorist attack that was planned for the Independence Day by the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), implicating a university professor as a facilitator.
The plot had such dangerous dimensions that forced Chief Minister of the province Sarfraz Bugti to describe it as part of a larger plan to break Pakistan and destabilize Balochistan. The arrest of a university professor linked to Baloch Liberation Army’s suicide squad, Majeed Brigade, shows enormity of the security challenges in Balochistan as militants and their agents have infiltrated into the system, providing direct and indirect support to anti-state elements.
The shocking details of what Dr Muhammad Usman Qazi, a BS-18 lecturer of Pakistan Studies at Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS) has been doing should serve as an eye-opener, who fell victim to the venomous propaganda of terrorist outfits. Some circles are trying to portray the professor as ‘innocent’ and link his arrest to human rights issues but the suspect himself belied this propaganda by admitting to his involvement with the BLA on video and sharing details of how he became associated with the proscribed group. The professor confessed he was involved in sheltering suicide bombers, including one who carried out the November Quetta Railway Station attack resulting in scores of casualties. In the video confession, the professor revealed that he hailed from Turbat, studied at Quaid-i-Azam University (Master’s and MPhil), completed his PhD at Peshawar University on an HEC scholarship and later joined BUITEMS as a lecturer. His wife and mother are also government employees. Qazi confessed that in 2020, he was introduced to three BLA members. After two were killed, he was contacted by Dr Hebtan alias Kalak, who recruited him into the BLA. Through Telegram, he was linked to the group’s chief Bashir Zeb. Inside the organization, he was given the alias “Ameer.” He also gave details of his three major facilitation tasks.
The arrest of the professor is indicative of the level and intensity of the process of radicalization in the higher educational institutions of Balochistan, which is one of the major causes of crisis in the educational system of the province as highlighted by repeated closures due to the activities of the trouble-makers. While appreciating the role of the security agencies in nabbing the high-profile suspect, it would be appropriate to take urgent measures for a transparent and comprehensive security clearance of all important civil servants, especially those affiliated with the profession of teaching and media as they are in a position to influence minds. The Chief Minister had a point in emphasizing that the arrest of such a high-ranking facilitator exposes the myth that militancy is driven by economic deprivation. He rightly pointed out “How can one call this deprivation? Dr Qazi was a lecturer, his wife and mother were government servants and he received state scholarships for higher education. This is not about deprivation — this is a foreign-backed anti-Pakistan agenda.” The agencies have sketchy details about how the Majeed Brigade operates in layers: first, propaganda-driven foot soldiers who carry out suicide attacks; second, facilitators inside urban areas, including women coerced into militancy; and third, a sophisticated top-tier network. The CM revealed that during CTD’s attempt to capture another suicide bomber, local residents tried to resist and help him escape, leading to cases being registered against them. This shows locals are either under influence of the venomous propaganda or they face threats and it is, therefore, responsibility of the state to provide them necessary security and rebut the false propaganda. It is hoped that the arrest of the professor-turned-militant will lead to the review of the overall security policy with focus on intelligence gathering, to be followed by physical operation and legal processes to eliminate the threat in an effective manner.
