Balochistan carnage
Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan
August 26, 2024 came as one of the blackest days in the turbulent security history of Pakistan when around 23 innocent citizens were brutally massacred in the Musakhel district of Balochistan by armed terrorists purportedly belonging to BLA/BLF in broad daylight. The victims were said to belong to Punjab, and it seems to be an attempt on the part of our enemies to create an ethnic hatred between Punjabis and Balochis, thereby fanning an ethnic divide inside Pakistan.
Pakistan is passing through the worst kind of security situation these days. There is a resurgence of terrorism across the country as we see a streak of terrorist activities going on without let up. Our valiant security forces are laying down their lives on daily basis while fighting against terrorists. The patriotic people of Pakistan need to understand that the enemies of Pakistan can’t see Pakistan on the path of progress as it goes against their interest. They are hell bent on sabotaging all the development projects being carried out successfully across Pakistan, notably, Balochistan under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); they want to disrupt the perennial friendship between China and Pakistan. In order to achieve this end, they are using the centrifugal forces like BLA, BLF, PTM, TTP and other secessionist groups as a cat’s paw and are strengthening them by providing all kinds of aid including financial aid, arms and ammunition to be used by them against Pakistan. The terrorist attack on Chinese engineers near Dasu dam in February this years is a case in point.
Capitalizing on the antagonistic political environment prevailing around since long and rapidly deteriorating after general elections held in February this year, the anti-Pakistan forces have become hyperactive and are using all the available means at their disposal to destabilize Pakistan. They are using the centrifugal forces as mentioned above to achieve their objective. The highly polarized political environment in Pakistan is providing a happy hunting ground to the enemy-backed terrorists to successfully carry out a killing spree on daily basis.
This is a fifth-generation war our archenemy is waging against Pakistan. Obliquely referring to this kind of war against Pakistan, Indian prime minister Nerendra Modi once said that he will make Pakistan bleed to the last drop without engaging in a formal war, and we see this happening day in and day out. The nation needs to understand the carefully choreographed stratagem being used by our enemies to destabilize Pakistan. All the political forces have got to stand united rising above petty political considerations if they want the country to survive with dignity and honour.
Unfortunately, the successive governments have failed to act upon the National Action Plan (NAP), the best consensus document on security issues ever produced jointly by the government and the security establishment following the tragic terrorist incident of APS Peshawar in December 2014. Operations like Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad were launched under the aegis of National Action Plan (NAP) which broke the back of the terrorists outfits, but regrettably, has lost the vigour and impetus with the passage of time resulting in the resurgence of terrorism.
The latest tragic incident in Balochistan claiming more than fifty innocent lives has disproved the arguments advanced by certain elements against the intended military operation under the name of Azm-e-Istehkam. We need to rise above petty personal considerations and see the situation through the lenses of supreme National interest. There is a need to develop national consensus on the issue and extend full support to our valiant security forces as it’s imperative to combat terrorism and establish the writ of the state. These terrorists deserve no mercy as they are the painful carbuncles which need immediate surgery in order to arrest them from metastasizing.
The ongoing war against terrorism could be won when the nation stands behind the security forces like a rock and extends full support to them.
Pakistan has suffered a lot both financially and in the form of human losses in the war against terrorism. According to a conservative estimate, it has suffered around 150 billion US dollars financial loss and has sacrificed more than 80 thousand human lives in the war against terrorism. The world must understand that terrorism is not Pakistan’s issue only. It has become a global phenomenon which needs to be fought out collectively. Instead of remaining a silent spectator, the world must come forward and help Pakistan in its efforts to stamp out terrorism.
Lastly, it’s imperative that all the stakeholders, particularly the mainstream political parties shed political differences and stand united against the terrorists and their backers, and work hand in glove with the security forces to eliminate the menace of terrorism which is eating into the vitals of the country. As patriotic and responsible citizens, we must realize that the national interest remains supreme and takes precedence over everything else, rest everything including personal interest comes last always and every time.