Balochistan bleeds again
With more than 50 people dead and over a 100 injured, the Khuzdar blast has now become the third major terrorist attack in Balochistan in the past four months alone. With the government quickly dismissing ISIS’s claims of responsibility and blaming malevolent, foreign hands pitted against CPEC for this tragedy, it is in a precarious position. No one’s denying CPEC’s importance – its development is key to not only providing trade and revenue to the nation, but also in overcoming our regional and international isolation – especially in the face of possible tightening of the reins by the looming Trump administration. However, there are problems with this statement.
First, for the government to allude to a “foreign hand’s” involvement with every attack that has occurred – particularly in Balochistan – is detrimental to the people’s faith in the PML-N administration (to say nothing of the thoughts of the international community). The implication is obvious: if this foreign hand has yet again managed to attack what should (in light of CPEC) technically be the most secured province in the country, it means it is continuing to outsmart our government and intelligence agencies. If the government’s hope is to deflect criticism, then such statements achieve the opposite, because they call its ability to govern in to question.
Secondly, such statements cannot deflect the blame from the government’s failure to provide security, including steps to implement the NAP. Grieving families will not accept placations, because this isn’t the first time this has happened. Even in the first attack, which killed several key lawyers of the province, the Supreme Court’s inquiry tribunal had choice words on the government’s handling of the matter, calling the statements contradictory and unsatisfactory.
As we offer our support to the families of those injured and killed in these attacks, it is important to remember that the fight against terrorism is a long and hard one, but it must continue to be fought. And while Zarb-e-Azb is going a long way in curbing the menace, its success also depends on the government responsibly playing its role.
It is a it of a shame when even tragedies like the present one are used for political point-scoring.
In any case, even if the 'disclosure' by the government was true and the massacre had been carried out not by the ISIS, who claimed it, and was instead the work of foreign hands pitted against CPEC, it does not bring any consolation to the wounded or to the relatives of the deceased. Also, it does not lighten in any way the responsibility of the government
There are complaints from various sectors that the ambitious National Action Plan has remained unimplemented in many respects which is really shocking, considering the situation we are in.
We have got to wake up sometime.
Karachi
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