The new wave of terror

Balochistan once again remained in the headlines for a week in the wake of tragic incidents of martyrdom of 10 soldiers in an attack in Dashat (Turbat) and of 12 others, including a doctor of the rank of captain, in two similar attacks in Noshki and Punjgoor districts. Terrorists of banned organisations claimed responsibility for these attacks.

On January 26, some two dozen terrorists attacked a post of the Frontier Corps Balochistan in Kaheer Kaur of the Dashat area in Kechh district, in which 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom and one of the attackers was killed. Then, just one week later, on February 2, terrorists launched attacks simultaneously in Noshki and Punjgoor, and intense firing from both sides continued for more than 24 hours.

Noshki — situated 150 km south-west of Quetta — borders Afghanistan, while Punjgoor and Kechh lie at a distance of 520 km and 800 km respectively, also south-west of the provincial capital. Both border Iran. Various tribes in the Noshki area, mostly Baloch, but with cultural variations, live on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border, while some culturally aligned Baloch tribes live in both Pakistani and Iranian Balochistan.

After dusk on January 26, terrorists, whose number is estimated at over two dozen, attacked a checkpost in the Dashat area manned by the Frontier Corps Balochistan. Fighting continued for several hours, resulting in the killing of one terrorist and the martyrdom of 10 soldiers.

In the Noshki attack, the terrorists sent a suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle to carry out the attack. He detonated the bomb he was carrying at Gate B of the Frontier Corps headquarters in the main bazaar. The bomb went off with a huge bang that could be heard for miles. The explosives and bomb disposal squad estimated the bomb to weigh in at around 35 to 40 kg. The explosion caused a two feet deep crater in the road and shattered doors, window panes and glasses in nearby buildings, including the district headquarters hospital. Five FC men, including a captain, were martyred and 11 others were injured. An employee of the Deputy Commissioner, Anwar Maseeh, was also killed after receiving stray bullets when he stepped out of his house.

The attack generated a wave of shock and terror among the citizens of the area in particular, and in Noshki city in general. All shops and markets and both government and private schools remained closed, while very few private vehicles were seen plying the roads. Heavy forces, including those of law-enforcers, were deployed in the area. Personnel of the Quick Response Force of the Frontier Corps and the Special Services Group were, meanwhile, airlifted from Quetta to Noshki to wipe out the terrorists. And in the morning of the day following the attack, all nine terrorists who were armed with American Rifles, hand grenades, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) launchers and explosives, were killed.

A similar attack was launched against the FC headquarters in Punjgoor city by six armed men, killing seven FC men and injuring eight. The firing continued through the night and next day (February, 03), as four of the attackers took refuge in the civilian population living in the vicinity, while the two remaining terrorists were killed. Till the filing of this report, the search operation for the arrest or recovery of the corpses of the attackers was ongoing.

The statement issued by the ISPR said, “both attacks have been successfully repulsed, while inflicting heavy [damage]upon the terrorists, [leaving many dead].”

The terrorism did not cease there. Last week, one levy sepoy and three government-backed members of a private force operating under the name of ‘Peace Force’ were martyred, and seven others were injured when their vehicle rolled over a land mine in the Dera Bugti area. The Peace force was established under the control of Senator Sarfaraz Bugti to fight the activists of the banned Baloch Republican Army (BRA) in the Dera Bugti area. Two days after the mine detonated, assailants launched an attack on the camp of the Peace Force, killing one of its members. Armed men also attacked a post manned by the levy force and killed one of its personnel in the border town of Chaman. The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) headed by Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch claimed responsibility for the Dashat attack, while the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army, believed to be headed by self-exiled leader Harbiyar Marri, took responsibility for the two incidents in Noshki and Punjgoor. The Majeed Brigade was established by Aslam Achoo and Bashir Zaib, the ex-Chairman of the Baloch Students Organisation. Achoo along with some commanders was killed in an attack by an unknown group in the Afghan city of Kandahar in 2018. Zaib, who is believed to have gone into hiding in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, has survived several armed attacks on his life. The Majeed Brigade adopted the tactic of sending its armed activists on suicide missions, as it did while attacking a convoy of Chinese engineers working on the Saindak Copper-Gold project in Dalbadin in August 2018, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi in November 2018, the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar in May 2019, and the Pakistan Stock Exchange in June 2020. Then, after a one-and-a-half-year lull, the same group launched attacks by storming the FC district headquarters.

After the Taliban takeover there was a general impression that the Indian influence in Afghanistan would diminish, and that both the TTP and Baloch militants who had bases there would have to stop their operations against Pakistan. However, these hopes came to naught, as neither TTP nor Baloch militancy saw any decline.

The mediation by the Afghan Taliban between the TTP and the Pakistan government also yielded no positive outcome, with the terrorist group continuing its activities in Pakistan. Some Baloch militants have gone into hiding in Afghanistan, while others have returned to Pakistan or managed to cross over into Iran. They were reportedly getting support, both monetary and otherwise, from the Indians and the Afghan NDS during the governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani.

In a press conference, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langov reiterated that the perpetrators of the recent attacks, irrespective of which group they belonged to, once garnered their support from RAW in Afghanistan, but declared that now these elements have their bases in Iran. “I don’t think, these terrorists have any support from the state actors there (Iran), but they definitely do from non-state elements as they may use their tribal connections.” He also confirmed that the matter has been taken up with the Iranian border management committee during routine meetings, the members of which assured action would be taken against such groups.

The Home Minister also expressed regret about the indifferent attitude of the political parties with regard to the martyrdom of soldiers in terrorist attacks, saying it was the personnel of the country’s security forces who laid down their lives for the security of citizens and the “motherland.”

It is worth mentioning that Zia Langov was alone in the press conference. Had a dozen of his party’s cabinet members or assembly members accompanied him, it would have conveyed a forceful message to the people of Balochistan and the country.

Zia Langov was right in his assertion, but failed to mention the stance of members of his own party, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) which is heading the coalition government. There are 42 legislators of BAP (24 MPAs, 13 Senators and 5 MNAs), and except for two or three, all the others avoid building a narrative or promoting the state narrative against terrorism. They even avoid speaking about terrorist activities in their public speeches and refrain from appearing on TV talk shows or other public fora. BAP legislators, who enjoy extra perks and privileges, including lucrative portfolios, have confined themselves to issuing vague, general statements condemning terrorism. The Balochistan government, headed by Mir Qudoos Bizenjo has, in fact, become virtually mute on this issue.

Balochistan has been contending with the chronic problem of deep-rooted corruption and poor governance, and a group of electable politicians, who are currently taking refuge under the umbrella of the Balochistan Awami Party are seen to be responsible for this problem. These individuals always join the establishment, unabashedly changing political parties and their affiliations to maintain their perks and privileges.

Balochistan has, in the 2021-2022 budget, been allocated Rs. 237 billion (with a shortfall of Rs. 84 billion) for ‘development’ activities. This sizable amount is to be divided among all the MPAs, mainly on the Treasury benches. Each member of the Treasury benches will have Rs 300 to Rs 700 million to spend in the manner he wants.  And as in the past, many will undoubtedly be eyeing the kickbacks that can be accrued from construction works they initiate. Meanwhile, the common man gets no benefit from this so-called development process. One of the main reasons for the Baloch youth’s alienation and enrolment in banned groups is that they see how the funds earmarked to help them, are instead stolen by their elected representatives.

These members of the assemblies do not merely not do the job they were elected to do, they in fact create hurdles for the Pakistan Army seeking a peaceful solution to the Balochistan problem. They always oppose the idea of negotiation with the self-exiled Baloch leaders who run armed groups.

Through the reconciliation process initiated by the authorities, some 4,000-armed militants had surrendered and joined the mainstream. Many Parliamentarians, taking advantage of the situation, included their loyal tribesmen in the list of surrendered outlaws, falsely showing them as members of banned organisations for the monetary benefits they could garner which had been promised to those throwing down their arms.

It is against this backdrop that Prime Minister Imran Khan announced an allocation of Rs 652 billion for a development package for southern Balochistan aimed at generating economic opportunities for the local people.  Another proposal is also on the anvil, to allocate in phases a handsome amount for first northern and later, for eastern and central Balochistan, to make the people of this province at par with those in developed parts of the country.

Independent observers think it is the need of the hour to engage political parties and figures like Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, the former Chief Minister, to mediate between the government and other self-exiled Baloch, with the aim to bring them round to returning home and joining the mainstream. They, like many others, believe a military operation may engender a short-term solution to a long-standing impasse, but it does not bring durable peace.