Balochistan: Has CM Malik what it takes

The Tuesday tragedy of the murders of 14 labourers travelling by buses from Quetta to their homes in Punjab has again shaken the country and made it realize that the situation in Balochistan is still as volatile as when Dr Abdul Malik Baloch took over as the chief minister of the province. The change in government, it seems, instead of violent incidents become few have increased in number and intensity. The most authentic version of the recent tragedy is that the convoy of buses carrying passengers to Punjab was guarded by the security forces but the escorts were diverted towards another violent accident when a militant attack took place on an oil tanker nearby. The FC and Balochistan Levies men were engaged in crossfire with those attacking the oil tanker. The explanation seems plausible except for the fact that the passengers travelling by the vans were in dozens while the oil tanker at the most could have had only two to three men. How could a trained force risk dozens of people and leave at the mercy of militants go to defend two or three individuals in the tanker baffles the mind. The militants were said to be numbered between fifty to one hundred and fifty armed men who stopped the buses, calmly checked the papers of all the passengers and kidnapped only those from Punjab: during all that time, the armed escort were engaged with the attackers on an oil tanker where only a couple of lives were at stack. While one can say that the diversion was created by the same group which kidnapped and later killed the passengers, the question is how they could know that a small distraction would be enough to lure the escorts from their original and more important job. It just doesn't stands to reason. Like the attacks on Bannu and DI Khan prisons, so in this attack on the buses full of passengers, there are many implausible excuses for the strange behaviour of those entrusted to guard against militants.. All this happened under Chief Minister Abdul Malik's watch and while it is too early to say for sure, it, however, seems that Balochistan's new chief minister is all wise talk and no smart action when it comes to bringing peace and order in his province. It was said, and truly said, that CM Malik was a nationalist and was once the partner of those Baloch leaders who have now crossed the line and become outright separatists. It was said that even among the separatists, Dr. Malik had credibility, as he knew most the separatist leaders and was on first name terms with quite a few of them. He was considered the ideal person to assure them of the government's good intentions and convince them of the benefits of a much autonomous Balochistan within the federation of Pakistan rather than fighting for the unrealistic dream of an independent state. But Abdul Malik did not meet the expectations. It seems the separatists have become more hopeful of achieving their goals with Malik as chief minister. It would seem that the nationalist militants, the sectarian terrorists and the gangs lawbreakers all are out of the control and reach of the chief minister. What is worse, he has been unable even to correct the direction and organise the provincial law enforcing agencies under his rule. He has not been able to make a dent either in the will of the separatists commanding the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), nor has he posed any threat to the religious fanatics ravaging his province. He is failing miserably in consolidating his authority even in areas which are supposed to be under the direct rule of the law enforcing agencies. At the same time, the Islamabad government cannot be absolved of the responsibilities when it comes to acts of terrorism. How can it be that scores of armed men would be moving or waiting in ambush so near an important road, and there would be no intelligence about them? And how could it be that there was no fast response force to reach and help the embattled men of FC and Balochistan Levies. After all this particular attack on buses may be new, the phenomenon of terrorism and their mode of operating are decades old. The intelligence part is important because Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar had promised the nation of intelligence sharing and coordination between all forces assigned to turn the tides of all kinds of terrorist and otherwise organised violent activities. The nation is still waiting even for some initial signs that the process of intelligence sharing and coordination among the relevant departments has begun. Already is too late.