Quetta suicide attack

By resorting to such barbaric tactics, BLA will end up hurting the legitimacy of the Baloch struggle.

The suicide attack in Quetta on December 30, that targeted the son of former federal minister Naseer Mengal and killed at least 13 people, and for which the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed credit, has to be condemned even by all those sympathetic to the Baloch cause. The attack marks a terrifying escalation by the separatist movement as this is the first time the BLA has aped the tactics of terrorist groups and carried out a suicide bombing. Apart from the needless loss of life in the attack itself, the BLA has ensured future bloodletting as retaliatory attacks are all but ensured. And by resorting to such barbaric tactics, it will end up hurting the legitimacy of the Baloch’s struggle to get their due rights. The sentiment in Balochistan has been increasingly tending towards separatism over the past few years, which makes it very hard for the government to negotiate with the representatives of this movement. The separatists even rejected the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package proposed by the PPP-led government soon after it came into power. But this does not mean that the government should be lethargic in giving the Baloch the rights they deserve, just like people of other provinces. Indeed, attacks like the one on Mengal’s son only highlight the urgency of doing so. There is still time to win over those Baloch, who support the separatist movement but are not an active part of it.

The best tack for the government to take is to finally implement the Balochistan package that was announced more than two years ago. Exiled Baloch leaders should be allowed to return and work has to begin on development projects in electricity generation. The Baloch people also need to be convinced that their resources are not being stolen by Punjab and instead will be used for the progress of the province. These steps, which for some reason the government has not shown much interest in taking, are actually the easy part. Other necessary measures like getting the security forces out of the province are gargantuan in comparison.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd,  2012.