August 28, 2024
ISLAMABAD – In the latest flare-up of violence, dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks on Sunday midnight across Balochistan, targeting security personnel as well as civilians, particularly those hailing from Punjab.
At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives as militants went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles.
President Zardari met the interior minister and chief minister today to discuss the security and law and order situation in the province and was briefed on the recent terror incidents.
A statement issued by the President House said proposals regarding the establishment of law and order in Balochistan were discussed, while Zardari stressed the need for effective measures for the “complete elimination of terrorists”.
“All possible steps should be taken to improve the security situation in Balochistan,” the president told the two officials.
In Musakhail, militants killed 23 people after checking their ID documents. In Khadkocha, they blocked a highway, stormed a police station, and held Levies officials hostage.
In Kalat, attacks on a Levies station, two hotels, and a tribal elder’s residence left 11 dead and nine injured. Meanwhile, six bodies were found in Bolan’s Kolpur area, believed to have been shot by militants. In response, security forces neutralised 21 militants, as CM Bugti and the interior minister vowed to eliminate terrorism in the province.
Naqvi vows support for CM Bugti
Meanwhile, Naqvi earlier vowed to stand behind Bugti’s government regarding its counterterrorism strategy.
Addressing the media in Quetta flanked by CM Bugti, Naqvi said: “My aim to visit is to let you all and the people of Balochistan know that the federal interior minister is standing behind the Balochistan chief minister.
“Whatever decision he (Bugti) makes, we will support him,” the interior minister affirmed.
Naqvi and Bugti were speaking to the media after holding a meeting earlier today at CM House on Balochistan’s law and order.
The meeting was attended by top officials of law enforcement agencies, including the provincial chief secretary and police chief, heads of Frontier Corps North and South, Levies director general and Counter-Terrorism Department DIG, the ministry said on X.
“Everyone — [including] the president, prime minister, and the army chief — is concerned for Balochistan and is working towards a solution,” Naqvi told the media today.
He highlighted that although there was a federal cabinet meeting earlier today — which was supposed to be attended by federal ministers, including him — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told him to visit Balochistan instead.
“While some actions may be apparent to you, some are under way at the backend, which the chief minister himself is leading,” Naqvi said.
The interior minister reiterated that the federal government would provide the Balochistan CM with whatever support he needed: “There is full support from the federation. The interior ministry is his own.”
Stating that the entire leadership was in deep grief over the recent attacks, Naqvi asserted, “Such incidents are absolutely intolerable.
“Together, we will close the door to these incidents. Those thinking that they can relay their message or scare us through these incidents will soon receive a ‘good message’.”
“We have to pursue those who are planning these [attacks], perpetrating this and forming this entire strategy,” Naqvi affirmed.
“You will see in the coming days; God-willingly, they all (terrorists) will be dealt with,” the interior minister vowed.
Naqvi added that the provincial government remained vigilant.
“About the current approach, even your biggest enemy is saying that the Balochistan government has never before taken this approach,” he quipped.
He assailed the terrorists for “carrying out attacks while in hiding”, stating that they should have had the courage to “come face to face” with the security forces.
Speaking about the government’s future course of action, Naqvi said: “There is no need for any operation; they only need an SHO’s (station house officer’s) response and they will [remain at that level].”
The minister later clarified he was only citing an SHO as an example and that the operation would entail efforts on a larger scale.
“They are terrorists and our civil armed forces, armed forces, and the police know how to combat them,” Naqvi asserted.
Hunt for terrorists under way: CM Bugti
Speaking alongside Naqvi, CM Bugti said the hunt for terrorists was under way and a “response mechanism” was in place.
“How can you say that there was no response [to the attacks]?” the chief minister said, as he cited the example of a captain who was martyred while responding to terror-related incidents in the province.
“He sacrificed his life for the people of Balochistan,” Bugti highlighted, adding that the government stood with the “53 [bereaved] families”.
The chief minister spoke in detail about the security challenges posed by Balochistan’s terrain and the strategies deployed by the terrorists.
Pointing out that there were 4,000 kilometres of roads across the province, CM Bugti said the terrorists “find an inch [of area] among those and operate […] after entering our society”.
“How will we know whether a person is coming for reconnaissance or is a traveller? Then you have issues when we stop them,” he added.
“They carry out reconnaissance and find our weakest spot. They come for half an hour, find the softest target, offload passengers from a bus and shoot them dead,” the chief minister explained.
“Whether it is our federal government or provincial government or our armed forces, we will go against them at any cost and every cost,” Bugti vowed.
Recalling his meeting with Naqvi, the chief minister said both leaders had a “very detailed discussion on the law and order situation and the future plan”.
Attack carried out in ‘well-thought-out manner’
A day prior, Naqvi, while addressing a press conference in Lahore, had vowed that “terrorists would be responded to like terrorists [ought to be]” instead of being referred to as “naraaz (discontent) Baloch”.
“We have a good idea of who has planned this and who is behind it. They have carried out all these attacks in a single day in a clear and well-thought-out manner,” Naqvi asserted.
He had stated that the entire leadership had “decided to fully respond to the attacks”.
“The terrorists will be dealt with,” Naqvi said, adding that CM Bugti was “absolutely right in saying that these people who have carried out the attacks are not upset Baloch but terrorists”.
The interior minister further said that the government was “forming an action plan” to hold talks with the political leadership of Balochistan.
“For politicians with whom talks have to be held, the leadership is forming an action plan,” Naqvi said.
PM says ‘no room for weakness’, urging resolute decision
Separately, PM Shehbaz on Tuesday asserted that there was “no room for any weakness” and urged the need to “move forward with a resolute decision” to tackle terrorism.
Addressing a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad, the premier stressed the need to identify the country’s enemies and urged “full unity” among the nation.
“We have to move forward with a resolute decision. There is no room for any kind of weakness,” the premier asserted.
“No degree of condemnation is enough for the recent incidents that took place in Balochistan yesterday,” the prime minister told the federal cabinet.
“Rather than discussing that people from a certain area of Pakistan were offloaded from buses and martyred, I think that it would be more appropriate and effective for the country’s well-being if I say that terrorists martyred Pakistanis,” he said.
Senators question role of intelligence agencies
Meanwhile, the Senate session on Tuesday saw heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches on the past day’s events.
JUI Senator Kamran Murtaza assailed the government for “not even performing the role of an SHO”, saying that the government’s writ was nowhere to be seen in Balochistan for four to five hours on the night between Sunday and Monday.
He questioned how would investment flow in with such incidents and further asked what were intelligence agencies doing amid the situation. He said the provinces paid intelligence agencies and criticised their slow response.
“This is a great injustice and this should not happen again. Is the provincial government lower than even a SHO? Are the interior ministry and its agencies to who we pay a considerable sum every month, are they even lower than a SHO? Could they not have handled the situation?” he said, asking whether were they not aware of the date, its events and whether the recent events represented an “intelligence failure”.
Murtaza called for redressal of the concerns of the province’s people, warning that more such events of even greater intensity could otherwise occur.
Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz lamented that the issues of Balochistan had been continuing since his own youth and the province was being deprived of the rightful share of its resources.
“We believe that political problems should be resolved in a political manner and the use of power is the last resort especially when it’s your own people. They should be engaged no matter their grievances and complaints.”
Faraz said the nation wanted to know how the highly “well-coordinated attack” occurred at multiple points in the province. He called for a debate in the Senate on how to control the law and order situation in the country since it was directly related to economic challenges.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said negotiations could and should take place with those who accepted the state of Pakistan but “this House will unanimously condemn those who kill innocents under the guise of grievances.”