Bombing our history

The rocket attack, which killed one policeman and destroyed the structure of the Jinnah residency, as a fire broke out quickly engulfing the wooden building, marks a tragedy. The residency, located in the hill town of Ziarat, was a national heritage site, as the place where the founder of the country, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had spent his last days, nursing serious sickness, before his demise in September 1948. The image of the residency also represented the province of Balochistan, on postcards, in textbooks, on stamps and in other places. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It can be assumed that the attack was a carefully planned one, intended to send out a clear message by the insurgents who have wrecked peace in the province and have for years been locked in a struggle against the state. According to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, the residency was attacked by five militants, who had removed the Pakistan flag and raised the BLA flag in its place. The rocket, which hit the building on the morning of June 15, also resulted in damage to nearby houses as a fierce blaze broke out. This is the first action by insurgents in the province since the new government led by Dr Abdul Malik Baloch took charge. Chief Minister Baloch, a highly respected politician, has said he will do all that he can to resolve the conflict in Balochistan. It is now clear his task will not be an easy one. Quite obviously, militants have no intention of ending their campaign or changing their tactics.

Together with the central government, the provincial set-up will need to think through all the dimensions of the Balochistan issue. We all know it is a complex one, with many issues tied into it. The strategy required to sort it out will not be easy to devise. But this is something we will simply have to do if we are to solve a problem that, in so many ways, threatens the very foundations of the state. If these are to be saved from further damage, decisive action is needed quickly — so that we can restore peace in Balochistan, a province that currently stands poised at the very edge of a steep precipice, from which it could tumble at any time.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2013.

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