THERE seems to be no end to the relentless murder of members of the Shia Hazara community in Balochistan. Many of the victims of Monday’s suicide car bombing that targeted a university bus in Quetta, in which at least four people died and over 70 were injured, belonged to this beleaguered ethnic group. Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the attack saying that its latest atrocity was ‘revenge’ for the bombing of a madressah in Quetta earlier this month. Members of the Balochistan Assembly have rightly questioned the role of intelligence agencies, particularly their inability to pre-empt such acts of terrorism. The deadly violence in Balochistan, especially in its capital city, has created a state of fear and mistrust between the ethnic and religious communities that reside in the province. However, while the provincial government has largely played the role of spectator as violence consumes Balochistan, it is the security establishment that must primarily explain why terrorist outfits have been allowed to operate with impunity in the province.

As we have argued before, trying to stop a suicide bomber when he is about to strike is next to impossible. Also, it is not possible for the security forces to be everywhere all the time. The fact is a police vehicle was accompanying the ill-fated bus in Monday’s tragedy, yet it could do little to prevent the carnage. The key, then, to checking the violence is to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorist groups through better intelligence gathering and pre-emptive action. The intelligence agencies’ role in this regard has been woeful to say the least, with militants striking at will in Balochistan. These shortcomings need to be addressed and the authorities in Islamabad as well as Quetta need to shake off their apathy so that the lives of the people of Balochistan can be secured.