The Return of Another Tragedy in Quetta

Editorial:The Baloch Hal

More than 60 people, mostly members of the Hazara community or the followers of Shia Islam, were killed on Saturday in Quetta city. Activists linked to the “banned” Sunni-militant organization, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have accepted responsibility for the attack which was carried out in Hazara Town area, an economically poor Hazara-majority neighborhood. Considering the impunity with which the Lashkar carries out these terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, one often sounds incorrect to describe it as a ‘banned’ organization. On the contrary, the so-called banned organization remains in the news more regularly than most other political and religious organizations because it keeps carrying out attacks after attacks. Yesterday’s massive bombing comes only a month after the extraordinary bombings on January 10 which killed more than 100 people, mostly Shias and Hazaras. That said, nothing has changed in the troubled province even after the imposition of the governor’s rule. Since the Balochistan government was sacked because of its failure to establish peace in the province, the government has not made a single public statement against sectarian groups nor has it come forward with a clear policy to grapple with the menace of terrorism employed in the name of religion. People should not be fooled by the mere statements of condemnation from the President, the Prime Minister and other important political figures. Because these statements are already prepared and saved in official computers. The staff of political figures issue these statements to the media with minor changes in the existing template as soon as they come across a breaking news on the television channels. Politicians mean their publicity. When a political leader ‘condemns’ an act of terror, it should only be treated as political rhetoric. Rulers should be trusted only when their actions speak louder than their words. Sometimes, their statements of condemnation are printed or put on air even before they hear about a tragedy. So, let’s stop debating which leader condemned a terrorist attack. What we should be asking as the real question is what the government and these political parties have done to truly address the issue of sectarian attacks. Unfortunately, the answer is ‘nothing’. Since the imposition of the governor’s rule, the government has not detained even a single Lashkar activist which clearly gives credence to the speculations that the religious extremist groups enjoy the support of the Pakistani security establishment. When the Human Rights Watch (H.R.W.), a globally respected human rights watchdog, accused the security forces of having ties with these extremist groups, the Pakistani military reacted furiously and refuted the statement. Instead of taking the H.R.W. statement seriously and reviewing its flawed policies and connections supportive of Islamic extremist groups, the military described the H.R.W. statement as a ‘pack of lies’. By now, we should be clear: The killing of 80 innocent people is not a ‘pack of lies’. It is the sad reality of our times. The country’s security establishment and political leadership should stop their double game. Whatever support is offered to the Lashkar and other religious groups by the security establishment it should not end. We have caused enough damage to our populations by playing politics in the name of religion and the s0-called ‘national interest’ While Saturday’s attacks was more powerful but less deadly as compared to the one that took place on January 10th, the official response has been relatively more positive and encouraging. Unlike Balochistan’s indifferent former chief minister Nawab Raisani, Govenor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi demonstrated better leadership on Saturday. He has announced a day of official mourning; pledged a reward of Rs. ten million against anyone with information about the terrorists involved in Saturday’s killings and, above all, the governor visited the hospital to speak to the victims of the blast. Governor Magsi’s caring gesture is deeply reassuring for the aggrieved families although much more is expected of him and the government he leads in order to end the cycle of attacks against the Shias, Hazaras. Governor Magsi has held the failure of security agencies and intelligence agencies responsible for Saturday’s carnage. Since Balochistan currently lives under governor’s rule, Mr. Magsi is not separate from the government. As the chief executive of the province, he cannot get away from his responsibilities by only blaming the security apparatus. It is his responsibility to ensure good governance and transparency in the affairs of the government. The threat of the Lashkar has increased significantly in the recent times which has also resulted in the killing of several police officers. That said, the Lashkar, just like the Pakistani Taliban, are rapidly getting out of the government’s control. Within the government, the blame game should stop and authorities should cooperate with each other to make sure that more such attacks do not take place in the future. We need a grand strategy to get rid of these deadly attacks. Besides the government, religious scholars and members of the community should assist with authorities to bring the religious extremists to justice.