Attack at rally

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It is a given that Balochistan is simmering with unrest and unscrupulous elements have an axe to grind in it. The attack on Sardar Akhtar Mengal's rally is a case in point, and the fact that the BNP was hit with a suicide bomber makes it more horrendous. The 'long march' from Wadh to Quetta was also in the eye of the storm, as it was proceeding in the absence of an administrative permission, and came in support of the arrested BYC activists, including Mahrang Baloch.

The point here is: who could be the beneficiary for the loss of lives and subsequent revulsion? A finger is being pointed at BLA miscreants. The fact that Mengal, being the last of the bohemians to pursue a political solution to the discord at hand, was attacked gives credence to the claims that the cluster of militants are out to gain space at the cost of lawlessness and bloodshed. That is what suits their extremist mindset too, as they are refusing to talk it out with the authorities under the domains of law and the Constitution.

The restive province has seen some unprecedented upheavals in the wake of the Jaffar Express hijacking, and there is a clear indicator that militants are regrouping and flexing their muscles. The suicide bombing near the BNP rally reminds one of similar attacks on the JUI-F too – something that goes to show that political amalgamations are being shunned by militants as they come at the expense of their survival. Thus, intentions of igniting political rivalry cannot be ruled out either. It is, nonetheless, a blessing that levies spotted the miscreant and the suicide bomber had to run before blowing himself up.

As for addressing the Balochistan puzzle, it has to be admitted that politicians have ceded their ground, and there is no visible presence of any mainstream political elements. This has created a void that militants and separatists are trying to fill in. The government too on its part seems paralysed and its efforts to broker a long-term solution are not up to the mark, inevitably paving the way for more kinetic operations.