AFTER several incidents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the last few weeks, we saw another act of terrorism, this time in Karachi, which resulted in the death of three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver at Karachi University’s Confucius Institute.

The four were killed when a woman suicide bomber of the banned terrorist organisation, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), blew herself up when the vehicle carrying the teachers was about to enter the institute.

It is unfortunate that the state is increasingly becoming a safe haven for outlawed organisations. The terrorist outfit has been challenging the writ of the state for long and the latest incident is a major advancement in that direction.

Earlier, the BLA had also been involved in the attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in which all four terrorists were killed. This time around, the BLA came up with a different strategy and opted for a suicide attack by a woman. These are surely not the only assaults that have undermined the state apparatus; there have been several other incidents in the past.

There is no doubt that misled Baloch ‘nationalists’ are disillusioned, which is why they have launched a revolt against the state. Besides Balochistan, there are separatist movements in Sindh and KP as well, though not as intense as in Balochistan. The reason for this mess is denial of basic rights of the people of these provinces and this is being exploited by hostile foreign forces.

Balochistan has been suffering owing to neglect over the last several decades. People travel long distances to fetch water, and that, too, contaminated. The health and education sectors are victims of official apathy, and infrastructure is in a poor shape.

Sindh is also no exception. While the province faces myriad issues, one can have a fair idea of how bad things are in Sindh considering just the case of Tharkparkar, which supplies coal to the country, but lacks basic services like health and education. Every year, child deaths are reported in large numbers due to malnutrition and other health-related issues.

Although the terrorist activities must be condemned, the state at the same time should address the grievances of the people of Balochistan. If the state keeps on neglecting the province and its people, it will only increase a sense of deprivation among the common man and foreign, hostile elements will exploit them for their strategic interests.

We all know India has evil designs and been focusing on the Gwadar port for long. Indian involvement in terrorists activities were exposed when Kulbhushan Jadhav was captured by Pakistani security forces.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is seen as a threat by India and the United States. There have been constant attempts by these foreign elements to disrupt CPEC projects and the latest attack in Karachi is ample evidence of a botched attempt to sour Pakistan-China ties.

There is a dire need to acknowledge the fact that recognition of a problem is the first step in the right direction which is followed by a solution. Otherwise, our enemies will continue to destabilise the country by spreading fear and destruction through terror, using proxies in Balochistan and other provinces.

This terrorism in the garb of ‘nationalism’ needs to come to an end. The issue needs to be seen through a pragmatic lens. We must review our policies and strategies to fight the internal and external enemies.

Abdul Qadeer Seelro
Larkana

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2022