HEARTS of all patriotic Pakistanis go with those families whose near and dear ones sacrificed their lives during encounters with terrorists in different areas of Balochistan, prompting the Interior Ministry to issue a nation-wide terror alert, ordering strict vigilance by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Seven soldiers were martyred and at least 13 militants were killed in Panjgur and Naushki in incidents of explosions and intense shootout, claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Balochistan remained hotbed of terrorist and subversive activities in the past as well but the defence forces and security agencies carried out successful operations against them and we have full faith in the ability and capacity of our forces to counter the latest conspiracies hatched by some foreign powers with the help of their local collaborators as part of their plans to stir trouble in the strategically located province of Pakistan.
Apart from elimination of hardcore terrorists, Federal and Provincial Governments as well as defence forces of Pakistan launched numerous initiatives in the length and breadth of the province with the objective of bringing it into mainstream of national development.
Conspiracies were also hatched in the past to scuttle the process of progress and development and the fresh wave of terrorism is a clear indication that anti-Pakistan forces are once again at work.
According to Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), the intelligence agencies intercepted communications between terrorists and their handlers in Afghanistan and India.
Commenting on the latest situation in Balochistan, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said in an interview that Daesh and a Baluch sub-nationalist network also backed the terrorists to enable Wednesday’s attack, as he doesn’t feel the BLA can pull off such an attack on their own.
He said all these groups have recently formed an umbrella organization – the Baluch Nationalist Army (BNA) – to carry out terrorism.
The attacks in Panjgur and Naushki came after the recent visit of National Security Advisor , Moeed Yusuf, to Afghanistan where he held constructive discussions with the senior leadership of the Taliban Government on security issues as well.
A report appearing in the media on the occasion claimed that Baluch militants were denied space by the new Government in Afghanistan.
Similarly, based on repeated assurances by the Taliban Government that they would not allow their soil to be used for sponsoring terrorist activities on other countries, it was expected that the external support for Baluch militants would dry up soon.
However, the revelation of the ISPR that handlers of the attackers were in Afghanistan and India confirm continuation of the anti-Pakistan activities unabated from Afghan soil.
As for Indian involvement, it is not for the first time that Pakistan has openly complained about Indian complicity in carrying out heinous crimes in Pakistan.
The Pakistani authorities collected concrete evidence and presented comprehensive dossiers to important countries as well as the United Nations but regrettably the world community has not taken any worthwhile notice of state-sponsored terrorism against one of its members.
It is because of lack of seriousness on the part of the global community that India feels encouraged to continue with its nefarious designs.
No doubt, defence forces and security agencies are defending the security interests of the country at the cost of their lives and they would ultimately succeed in eliminating the threat forever, the campaign against terrorism can be taken to fruition in less period and little losses if local population of Balochistan is sensitized about the designs of the enemy.
This calls for a massive awareness campaign in the province about developmental initiatives undertaken/being undertaken in different areas, their impact for local people in particular and the province in general.
They need to be properly educated where Balochistan is posed to reach when historic projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), especially all round development of Gwadar and its connectivity with the rest of the country and the region start benefiting people, transforming their economic health in a revolutionary manner.
It is incumbent upon elected representatives from the province – federal and provincial ministers, Senators, MNAs, MPAs and other influential personalities to come forward and play their role in creating the required level of awareness among people of Balochistan and extending helping hand to the forces to combat terrorist groups.
There should be proper counselling and availability of job opportunities for the youth in Balochistan as they are targeted for brainwashing by terrorists and their handlers.
