Stoking chaos

In yet another vain attempt to destabilise Pakistan from within, Indian-backed proxies carried out a brazen attack on government offices in Balochistan's Mastung district.

A teenager lost his life, and seven others were injured in the violence. In a swift response, security forces eliminated two of the attackers and injured three others in a fierce exchange of fire. But the questions this incident raises runs deeper than the bullets exchanged.

The attack bears the hallmark of the banned BLA, a group that has steadily grown bolder in 2024 and continues to act as a proxy for hostile elements across the border. The strategy is to sow chaos and rupture the fabric of the state through terrorism masked as insurgency.

The state has responded with force — and rightly so. But force cannot be our only recourse. There is need to pave the ground for politics to flourish, as when politics is silenced, violence finds a voice.

The way forward lies in flipping this equation, by amplifying political voices and shutting down the channels that feed extremism. To defeat terrorism, we must confront both the external hand and the internal silence.

India's role in fanning separatist fires is well-documented, but what keeps those fires burning is the absence of dialogue and representation. It is perhaps time to re-centre politics in Balochistan.

That means meaningful engagement with elected leaders and a firm commitment to democratic governance that do not vanish under the shadow of the gun. Security forces will continue to do their job, but peace will only be possible when people are heard.

The enemies of Pakistan know they cannot defeat us from the outside. Their strategy, instead, is to make us turn inward against each other. Terrorism thrives in silence. Let us respond with resolution.