The incompetence factor
Despite Quetta being a cantonment city with ample presence of FC, the city remains as lawless as ever while there seems to be no writ of the state in the province. Some lay total blame for the situation on the provincial government, others accuse interior ministry and still others the agencies. The common perception is that all these have shown utter incompetence in bringing a semblance of peace to the province. The horrendous and highly condemnable execution of an ICRC doctor is the latest incident that underlines the gravity of the situation. The official was kidnapped in January. He was obviously not provided sufficient security. That his body was recovered from a city orchard would suggest that all this time he was kept in the city. What one gathers is that the TTP had undertaken the kidnapping for ransom. In other provinces many cases of the sort are resolved leading to the recovery of the victims and the arrest of the criminals. In Balochistan this rarely happens.
The brutal execution of the British citizen will add to the perception abroad of Pakistan being one of the most dangerous places in the world. This will not only continue to draw away investments from the country but also undermine attempts to improve the visa regime and promote people to people relations with neighboring countries. Unless Balochistan is under control, the future of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline will remain in jeopardy.
Many would, however, disagree with the remarks by the Indian air force chief who maintains that the Talibanisation is spreading fast in Pakistan and may reach Wagha soon. The military operation in FATA against the TTP and better security measures by provincial governments, with the notable exception of Balochistan, have reduced the number of terrorist attacks compared to the previous year. In Punjab, the last terrorist attack took place more than a year back. Executions of the sort could however strengthen false perceptions.
