Balochistan crisis: Tussle clouds probe into twin attacks

ISLAMABAD: The alleged tussle between intelligence agencies and provincial authorities of Balochistan is said to have marred investigations into the twin incidents of terrorism and sabotage in Quetta and Ziarat on June 15.

Highly informed sources told The Express Tribune that a prolonged tug of war between secret agencies and law enforcement departments have hampered the probe into these blasts. Thus there has been no breakthrough in the investigations.

Sources privy to the matter revealed that the continuing blame game between the two state entities alarmed the authorities in Islamabad, prompting them to convene a high powered meeting of civil and military authorities expected to take place today (Thursday) in the federal capital.

The provincial bureaucracy headed by the chief secretary considered the intelligence agencies answerable for the tragedies, while the intelligence officials have declared it a security lapse on part of the provincial security management, including the police, Levies forces and the district administration.

Intelligence agencies maintain that they had conveyed the threats posed by Lashkare- Jhangvi (LeJ) and the Balochistan Liberation Army.

Earlier this month, intelligence reports led to three successful operations against militants in Quetta, Kalat and Mastung areas. A security team in a pre-dawn operation on June 6 had killed three high-profile targets from LeJ.

At least 17 security officials were also injured during the three hour exchange of fire.

Following the incident LeJ had threatened to avenge the Kharotabad operation. Two other operations against BLA in the Kalat and Kabu areas inflicted damage to the militants of the BLA.

An official in the Provincial Home Department who wished to stay anonymous admitted that the intelligence reports had predicted that both the LeJ and BLA would retaliate over the operations against them.

“However, a misjudgement by the provincial security management caused the damage,” the official conceded, adding “we suspected that they would target the Shia community.

“We had never imagined the LeJ would use a female suicide bomber and that too against the ethnic Pashtuns and Baloch Sunni female students,” he further conceded. Ransacking of Quaid-e-Azam’s residency in Ziarat by BLA too, took the provincial administration off guard. Ziarat, one of the most peaceful districts of the province, was the first assault in a Pushtun dominated area as previously only the Baloch belt of the province had been targeted by BLA, the official confessed.

Intelligence agencies reportedly blame police high command and the home department for their miscalculations.

The Secretary General of the ruling National Party (NP) Tahir Bizenjo told The Express Tribune that a continuous negligence on part of the relevant authorities played a key role in the tragic incidents.

“It is an unfortunate fact that the relevant authorities in the province had never conducted any inquiry for the terrorist incident in the past,” he said.

“There must be a fair and impartial inquiry to fix the responsibility for the failure of the authorities,” he demanded, adding “at least we should know whose negligence caused the loss in Quetta and Ziarat. People should also know whether it was a breakdown of the intelligence agencies or the provincial law enforcement department,” he said.