Harnai attack

At least seven Frontier Corps soldiers were martyred after terrorists attacked a checkpost in Harnai, Balochistan, earlier this week. The Inter-Services Public Relations statement on the incident also made it clear that some of the terrorists were able to flee after the attack. Although the military did not point fingers at an external hand, Prime Minister Imran Khan explicitly named India, referring to the courage of our “soldiers who face attacks from Indian backed terrorists”. It is well established that India has been bankrolling several militant groups in Balochistan. Therefore, it would not be a surprise to find out that this group did have an Indian connection.

At the same time, the attack came less than a week after a military operation in Awaran where 10 suspected terrorists were killed. That incident was itself a response to a terrorist attack on security forces a few days earlier. All this brings us back to the one constant that is known — Balochistan remains a troubling place. Despite the government and the military’s best efforts, we are seeing regular upsurges in violence, which does not bode well for bringing lasting peace and stability in the backward but resource-rich province.

There is some hope though. The government previously said it would present evidence to world powers to prove India’s support of terrorism in Pakistan. While it is unlikely that India will face any extreme consequences from this, we hope that it is at least enough to force India to take a step back from its terror financing. However, even if some terrorists are cut off from their funding, eliminating them and cutting off their recruitment avenues will remain challenging. Then there is the question of groups that are not foreign-backed. Without addressing key social issues to give the downtrodden masses a chance, they will always remain open to recruitment by enemies of the state, whether foreign or domestic.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.