Terror by design

The violence that has engulfed Mastung over the past several days is part of a deliberate campaign to destabilise Balochistan by spreading fear among ordinary citizens and attacking the institutions that uphold the writ of the state. This is terrorism in its clearest form, designed not merely to kill but to convince people that nowhere is safe and no institution is beyond reach.

The assassination yesterday of a district and sessions judge and his security guard represents a dangerous escalation in this campaign. Judges occupy a unique position in any democratic society. To target a judicial officer is to attack the very foundation of the legal system. The timing of this attack is also difficult to ignore. Only days after BYC chief Mahrang Baloch and other leaders were convicted, one of their close associates issued a provocative statement on social media explicitly inciting hostility against judges.

This and other such attacks are entirely consistent with the BLA's increasingly brutal tactics. Over the years, the group's attacks have extended far beyond security personnel to encompass government employees and civilians who have no role in any armed conflict. Wednesday's attack on a Karachi-bound passenger coach in Mastung, which claimed innocent lives, and the simultaneous destruction of a bridge on the National Highway further demonstrate that the objective is to cause maximum disruption and public panic. Any movement that deliberately murders civilians and seeks to paralyse public life forfeits any moral legitimacy.

There can be no ambiguity, and certainly no political equivocation, when confronted with organisations that deliberately murder civilians. Pakistan must adopt and consistently enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards this form of terrorism. Those who plan, facilitate, finance or glorify such attacks must face the full force of the law. Every attack on civilians is ultimately an attack on the province's future.