But will it change anything?
With the dismissal of the Balochistan Chief Minister and the imposition of the Governor’s rule, Quetta’s Hazara community has called off its sit-in and buried the over 80 bodies of its members who fell victim to terrorist attacks on Thursday. The countrywide protests against the ignominy have also come to an end. So have the protests which were going on in a number of cities in the US and UK. The action taken by the prime minister is commendable as far as it goes. But how far does it really go? The only change that has taken place is the replacement of an incompetent CM with a demoralised governor who has publicly admitted that the entire political establishment in the province, including his own office, has failed to deliver and needed to be sent home. The sectarian outfits which have continued to target the Hazaras for years are still intact. The FC which failed to bring the terrorist networks under control would again be required to take them on. Will the governor succeed in two months where the Supreme Court has failed despite repeated attempts spread over nearly a year?
The factors responsible for the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Hazaras still continue to be operative. The LeJ which has claimed responsibility for attacks believes as firmly as ever that it is its religious duty to eliminate the Shias. The sectarian network is both committed and resourceful. The removal of the Raisani chief ministry is not going to deter them from the performance of what they consider to be their ordained duty. The powers in the Gulf which supposedly finance sectarian terrorists in Pakistan have all the more reason to continue egging on their Pakistani proxies in view of their rising tensions with Iran. Those who formulate Pakistan’s Afghan strategy had in the past patronised the anti-Hazara Taliban in Afghanistan. The facility with which the latter have all these years operated in Balochistan indicated that there was little change in the policy. Whether the powers-that-be would revise their anti-Shia, anti-Hazara doctrine in view of the countrywide protests against Quetta killings remains to be seen.
Ethnic and sectarian peace can be ensured only if both the political and military establishments give priority to Pakistan’s national needs and interests over every other consideration. Influence in Afghanistan or Kashmir will be of little use if it is acquired at the price of national stability. It is not enough to say that the doctrine of strategic depth has been renounced for good. As long as organisations like LeJ continue to operate from Pakistan’s soil the claim would have few buyers. The political and military establishments have to be on the same page. The litmus test would be an all-out operation against those who have put peace and security of Balochistan at stake.
