MONDAY’S devastation in Quetta has drawn various claims of responsibility, but only this is certain so far: the long fight against militancy is a much bigger, borderless war than it has thus far been fought as.

The allegations that the Quetta carnage may be linked to CPEC and hostile foreign interference in Balochistan were predictable enough, but cannot and should not be ruled out. That makes it all the more important for the perpetrators to be identified and caught and for the criminal justice system to be allowed to take its course.

Nothing less than a clear and wholly transparent prosecution and judicial conviction of the architects of the Quetta attacks will establish the truth.

Yet, whether the attackers were linked to outside forces or the internal fight against militancy, the straightforward reality is that the attacks could not have taken place in isolation.

Peace and stability can never be brought to Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan or indeed the region generally if militancy is fought in isolation and selectively by states while the militants themselves move freely across borders and boundaries.

Consider the possibility of an internal dimension to the Quetta attacks: as the military leadership itself has alleged, the anti-militancy successes in Fata and KP may be causing militant groups to look to operate elsewhere in the country.

But security policy in Balochistan has been dominated by the military for over a decade now, indicating that an ad hoc, piecemeal approach to combating militancy will not succeed. Or, if there is foreign involvement, Balochistan is made vulnerable primarily because of the long border it shares with Afghanistan.

On the other side of this boundary, however, lie areas virtually controlled by the Afghan Taliban. The insurrection against the lawful government in Afghanistan, then, is adding to the instability of the region and must be regarded as part of the problem.

That terrorism cannot be fought and won while being isolated from one’s neighbours, whether inside the country or outside, must be the basic starting point for Pakistan’s national security policy.

The zero-tolerance approach is often rejected as unfeasible or impractical, but unless it forms the philosophical underpinnings of overall security policy, the country cannot realistically look forward to a peaceful, stable or prosperous future.

Whether internally or externally directed, terrorism inside Pakistan will only be defeated by cooperation among institutions and between states.

Finally, the need for clarity and coherence in overall policy should not obscure local failings. Quetta, a relatively small provincial capital, ought to be better protected than it has been.

After each attack, whether a targeted killing or an indiscriminate bombing, the same vows are made by different officials, but accountability never seems to be a priority. Surely, Balochistan and its capital, Quetta, deserve both answers and also visible accountability.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2016