Unsafe track

Leaving Balochistan in a state of unrest and uncertainty will only weaken our country as a whole.

The dozens of people aboard Jaffer Express as it left Quetta for Rawalpindi Monday can consider themself lucky. A small explosion from an IED left in the bathroom of a carriage injured three people and caused panic among the passengers, many of whom tried to flee the train which had at the time stopped at Sibi station. But things could so easily have been worse — far worse. In April this year, a bomb blast ripped through the same train service, killing 16 and leaving many others injured. This time the damage was far less severe. For this we can be thankful.

But the blast, claimed by the Balochistan Republican Army, a banned nationalist outfit, is also a reminder of just how many different strains of terrorism we face and how easily these groups can strike. Amidst the various other kinds of turmoil we have been facing, the problems of Balochistan indeed seem to have been almost forgotten; placed on the back burner to simmer quietly. This is a mistake. It could prove to be a disastrous one. It is true the complex issues of Balochistan are not easy to solve and no one seems to have any solutions. We are not even sure what efforts are on or if the Balochistan chief minister’s plans to try and build a bridge with nationalist groups got anywhere at all. Certainly there seems to be no evidence of this. The crucial thing is to try and continue to work towards a solution. Leaving the province in a state of unrest and uncertainty will only weaken our country as a whole. The perceptions of injustice and rage which exist within Balochistan are well established. They need to be addressed by both the provincial and federal governments working together so that people can face safer lives and escape the constant sense of danger they live with. The repeated incidents of terrorism that hit the province are taking this away from them. The situation has continued for far too long. It needs to be brought under control before greater damage is inflicted on people who have already suffered far too much.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2014.

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