While the country has not gone out of control, it is showing signs of creaking at the joints. At least 23 travellers were pulled off buses, identified as Punjabis and shot dead by 30 to 40 militants. There were also a number of attacks on law enforcement personnel, with no less than 14 killed in clearance operations that saw 21 terrorists being killed. After 50 people were killed, the province joined Punjab in being affected by terror on a grand scale, after it experienced a massacre of 11 policemen in the badlands of Rahim Yar Khan. The latest massacre also affects Punjab, for the victims hail from districts like Gujranwala, Toba Tek Singh and Khanewal. It was commendable for Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti to say that the attack was not aimed against Punjabis, but it simply is not true. The attacks had the hallmark of Baloch militants, and may indicate that the militants may be getting restive. It may even be a response to the operation in the Punjab kutcha, which borders Balochistan, and which equally provides its militants a refuge as much as the criminals who seek refuge there. It is also worth noting that the terrorists are seeking refuges because their safe havens are under attack by a military operation in the Dera Ismail Khan area. A threat to their refuge in the kutcha would be seen by them as an existential threat.
The Baloch separatists might have become desperate. This latest operation seems to be aimed at driving a wedge between Punjab and Balochistan, which means that the narrative of exploitation is not working, and this is a desperate attempt to jumpstart it. The alliance between Baloch separatists and sectarian militants is worrisome in that respect, because it is not certain how the latter will fit into the equation. The Baloch separatists now need Balochistan towns to start receiving bodies, but there are simply not enough Balochistanis in Punjab for this.
The problem of Balochistan is one of their experiencing interference from the Centre. It is not a matter of throwing money at the problem. Also, it is not Balochistan alone, but the entire country which is experiencing this instability. What is needed is a firm approach, with the government leading the effort both to solve the province’s developmental issues, as well as dealing with the terrorists, whatever ideology they might espouse. The government has previously traced the links of Baloch separatists to Indian intelligence. Its interference cannot be ruled out.
