KP and Balochistan reeling under violence
The security situation in the country wasn’t something to write home about already but now that there is only a caretaker setup in place, the militants appear to have upped the ante with increased attacks, both on the general public and on political gatherings, thus threatening elections due in about three weeks. If the situation continues this way any longer, the consequences could be disastrous. And with militants bent upon proving their point through the barrel of a gun, the ballot may not even get a chance to prove who gets wider public support.
Only the other day, there were attacks in both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the two provinces that have bore the brunt of terror attacks for far too long. A female suicide bomber, not the first instance but one that makes it easier to work around security measures, killed four and injured four more in Bajaur Agency. Another blast in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan killed four and injured an identical number. In another incident, a hand grenade exploded near a rally organised by the Awami National Party in Turbat where the party chief Dr Malik Baloch was about to address his supporters. In yet another incident, the Bomb Disposal Squad personnel (BDS) on Sunday defused a bomb in Bazeedkhel near Badaber area in the outskirts of Peshawar. While these incidents show the sway the militants hold and the freedom with which they attack, the call for security is a cry in the wilderness.
But whatever little good news emanates from these parts must be appreciated. The KP government has rounded up 100 ‘former militants’ in Swat out of a list of 200 in order to ensure peaceful elections. A good and timely action by the KP government but wouldn’t it be better to have similar action elsewhere in the KP, and in Balochistan? The Awami National Party (ANP) is a particular target of terrorists because of its clear stand against the terrorists. In the recent weeks, ANP leader Mukarram Shah lost his life after his car was blown up in Manglawar, Swat. Only two days later, at least 18 people were killed and 49 injured in a suicide blast in Peshawar near an ANP meeting. Security measures are only as good as the will to implement them. If the security forces and the law enforcement agencies are unable to implement what they have been tasked with, peace might not return to these restive areas, and consequently the prospects of holding elections there in relative calm would be near impossible. The caretaker governments in both provinces need to lift their efforts on providing security to the public and politicians alike.