Ten labourers were killed in the Dasht area of Mastung district, about 25 kilometres from Quetta, in a brutal incident, where the assailants lined up the workers along the road side where they were working and sprayed them with bullets. This cold-blooded incident indicates that violence is taking an increasingly bold style in the province, despite repeated statements from law-enforcement agencies and the government falsely reassuring the people that things are being brought under control. The manner of killing was also shocking, carried out methodically and in execution style with many witnesses around. The fear without which perpetrators of such crimes are running amok in the province, carrying out such gruesome attacks, is a serious affront to the authorities and those in charge, who have failed on numerous counts to provide security to the people of Balochistan.
The fact that the murdered workers were all residents of Quetta has been emphasised by the local administration. But the undeniably unfortunate fact is that all the victims were essentially of Pakhtun origin. This then makes it another grisly crime based on ethnic hatred, furthering the now much obvious pattern of ethnic cleansing that has become characteristic of Balochistan, over the past few years. As the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan pointed out in a recent report, such murders have increased since the 2006 killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, who had come to be seen as a symbol of the nationalist cause. Rage among Baloch nationals has run high ever since his death.
The chief minister of the province, the country’s president and others, have all expressed regret. The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has staged protests in Quetta. But all this is not enough. It does not take us any closer to solution. Further action is required to rectify this state of affairs. The party should begin with an effort to bring all stakeholders to the negotiation table, so that their problems, their concerns and their suggestions can be discussed consensually. Only after this happens can some progress be made to restore some measure of peace and stability in the otherwise trouble-ridden province, the future of which seems extremely bleak.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2012.
COMMENTS (2)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Auqaf and Religion Ministries should check hate speeches and hate material which is the root cause of killing on both ends. There are fake clerics in both ranks fueling hatred for their pockets. Implement rules similar to UAE and KSA to control religious activities.
The incidence was most unfortunate but more unfortunate was the response of the government. Even after so many massacres government has not yet done something honestly to generate sense of security among the settlers. Massacre of Pashtuns/ Punjabis will not do good to the demand of autonomy/independence nor to the Humanity. This must stop. Further the exploitation and sufferings of Baluch in the hands of the Pakistani Establishments must also stop immediately otherwise whatever restraint and sanity is still left (though in minuscule quantity), even that will be gone and then it will become next to impossible to control/suppress the process of chain reaction of killings and counter killings !!!!
"The party should begin with an effort to bring all stakeholders to the negotiation table, so that their problems, their concerns and their suggestions can be discussed consensually." :- This is the first step to start with!!