Chaman blast

There has been a surge in the incidents of terrorism in Balochistan over the last couple of months, with security personnel being the prime target. In a latest incident, on Monday, a vehicle belonging to the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) parked near the Office of the District Police Officer in Chaman was targetted though an improvised explosive device. Five people, including a boy aged 10, were killed and 23 others, including two ANF personnel, were injured in a blast, according to an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Chaman Zakaullah Durrani.

The attack in Chaman — a sensitive town in Balochistan bordering Afghanistan’s volatile Kandahar province — is most likely the handiwork of terrorists based in Afghanistan acting at the behest of the enemies of Pakistan. The involvement of estranged Baloch sub-nationalists in the attack cannot be ruled out either. Earlier in March, at least nine people had been injured in an explosion near Chaman’s Levies Lines areas. The attack had targetted Levies Risaldar Maj Naseebullah, but very fortunately he remained safe. In April, a bomb blast had occurred in Qila Abdullah, another district of Balochistan bordering Afghanistan. Two Pakistan Army soldiers had embraced martyrdom in the blast and two others had been injured. Besides, in recent incidents of terrorism in other parts of Balochistan, six soldiers were martyred in Bolan district when an improvised explosive device went off near the vehicle in which they were travelling. And another soldier laid down his life in an exchange of gunfire with militants in Makran district.

The frequency with which terrorists incidents have been happening in Balochistan can be viewed in the context of CPEC, of which the port city of Gwadar is a pivotal part. CPEC is our journey to prosperity, and thus the target of our enemies. Gratefully, our security forces are aware of these nefarious designs.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2020.

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