With the large number of killings in Balochistan that have ethnic motivations (the targeting of Punjabi settlers in urban centres and the murder of Baloch political activists), one tends to overlook the other fault lines that besiege the province. The murder of former boxer Syed Abrar Hussain in Quetta is a grim reminder that sectarian strife is as strong in the Baloch capital as it is elsewhere.
Banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi immediately claimed responsibility for the act. Mr Hussain was a member of the Hazara, a predominantly Shia community. The community has been under threat since a very long time, much before 9/11, yet another argument against the Pakistanis in denial who think the scourge of religious terror will leave the country once the Americans up and leave from Afghanistan. Like a large chunk of religion-driven murders, there are economic interests at play here. The community owns a considerable amount of prime property in the city and the land mafia is said to be one of the instigators of hatred. The Hazara are no strangers to such violence, with many of the affluent ones opting to move out of the country. They are an educated, modern and progressive lot, who have a lot to contribute to the development of Pakistan.
In the powder keg that Balochistan has become, every act of violence creates ripples that continue indefinitely. Not on such good terms with the Hazara community otherwise, the militant hyper-nationalist Balochis will nonetheless be quick to point out the Punjab-dominated Lashkar’s excesses against fellow Balochis.
The government and its security apparatus should act proactively in bringing the perpetrators of such acts to book. Every successive act of violence emboldens the militant organisations to act with impunity. The writ of the state is most dependent on the effectiveness of its law enforcement agencies. Nowhere is the state more absent than it is in that troubled province.