Pakistan: Terror trail claims 50 lives in a year in Balochistan

The security situation in Balochistan province worsened last year, claiming 50 lives.

The latest incident in which three civilians, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), lost their lives took place on Fatima Jinnah Road in the heart of the provincial capital Quetta, indicating a spread to urban centres by rebels of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reported Islam Khabar.

The police chief termed the incident as a terror attack in which 24 persons were injured. The officer also confirmed that 2-2.5 kilogrammes of explosives were used.

The group has been banned by the Pakistan Government even as the government representatives conduct secret parleys to buy peace.

The TTP unilaterally ended a cease-fire pact with the Imran Khan government last December and has since stepped up attacks in border areas as well as cities.

Moreover, Pakistan has to respond to domestic concerns, as also those of China whose China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through Balochistan, terminating at Gwadar port. Many Chinese workers on the CPEC projects have died in terror violence, reported Islam Khabar.

On February 2, 2022 at least 13 terrorists were killed and seven security personnel, including an officer, died during armed attacks on two security forces' camps in the province's Naushki and Panjgur districts.

A month ago, commenting on the rising terror violence, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had conceded on February 3 that there was "no doubt" about the TTP's role and that there would be "no talks."

This has been a continuing phenomenon, despite failures, for over 15 years, stretching into the Musharraf era, when the TTP was formed, reported Islam Khabar.

Journalist-editor Kamila Hyat, writing in The News International (March 3, 2022) on violence and deaths overall, noted that "In Balochistan, almost each week, we hear of disappearances. Some of those young men never return home. Their families must live with this loss present forever in their lives.

"The crisis lies in our soil and in the souls of the people who live in our country and carry the green Pakistan passport," Hyat said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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