The month of the October has been the worst of the past few months as Balochistan suffers different traumas in forms of terrorism and local militancy. The latest incident took place on Wednesday afternoon when elite police were attacked by a suicide bomber in the heart of Balochistan, Quetta. The attack took place on the city’s main Saryab road where the suicide bomber targeted a truck carrying police personnel. 7 policemen were martyred and 22 were wounded in that deadly attack.
Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri visited the injured personnel and told the media, “Six police officers and a civilian were killed and 22 wounded”. Home Minister Balochistan Sarfaraz Bugti, informed the media at the site of the attack that the attacked were “elite” officers.
According to sources, the suicide attacker was carrying 80kg of explosives in his car. He collided with the truck when it was passing through the Main Saryab road and targeted the security officials. The target specifically indicates to the government of Pakistan that anti-state actors are still present in Balochistan. Yet no source has confirmed who was involved in this terrorist attack. It might have been an act of lone wolf terrorism but the case is hypothetical until sources confirm who was responsible for the attack.
If we try and connect dots in order to analyze the bigger picture, we see that there was a sectarian attack on the Hazara Shia Muslim community last week where five people were killed under the security of police. There was another suicide attack on a Sufi Shrine in Jhal Magsi in the beginning of October where 18 people were killed.
To make things clear, attacks on security officials come under the banner of insurgency, whereas attacks on local population come under terrorism. Careful thought would reveal the possibility that anti-state actors are creating a confusion for the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) about whether this is local insurgency or terrorist activities.
Quetta has often been bloodied by the local militancy which demands a separate state, religious militancy which involves Shia Sunni Killings and militant outfits like Tehreek-e-Taliban who are themselves confused as to what they want. People are suffering and to use the words of the Home Minister, “The people of Balochistan are fighting this war on the front line”. People of Balochistan are convinced that that once the CPEC projects will be in mainstreamed, they will change their fate. All the efforts to marginalize the CPEC have been disposed of and the people have snubbed the propaganda being propagated by anti-state actors and the leaders living in exile. Even the local population now questions the status of Bramdagh Bugti who is enjoying a lavish life abroad whereas the people of his clan are suffering here. People are happy with the massive amount of infrastructure being built in Balochistan and the ongoing development. The story of Balochistan is not merely a political, legal, or academic discussion but rather a brutal reality the people faced in the past where they were being played by the Sardars like Bramdagh Bugti and Hyrbyair Marri.
