In a chilling episode of brutality, seven laborers were mercilessly gunned down in their own home in Panjgur, Balochistan, while two others were left wounded. The district administration confirmed that the victims hailed from Punjab, targeted by terrorists associated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The calculated violence of this attack is yet another grim reminder of the unrelenting tide of bloodshed sweeping across Balochistan. Terror in the province is no longer a rare or shocking occurrence; it has become disturbingly routine. There have been countless instances where passengers are dragged off buses, their identities scrutinized, only to be executed on the spot based on the information on their identification cards. Shops are stormed, and lives are snuffed out with ruthless precision. The latest massacre involved men simply doing their jobs—laboring on the construction of a house in the remote area of Khuda Badan, Panjgur—when terrorists stormed in and slaughtered them.
One would think homes, traditionally considered safe sanctuaries, would offer some semblance of refuge from the violence. However, in Balochistan, even within the four walls of one’s home, safety is no longer guaranteed. The state’s promise of protection seems hollow as families are now forced to live in fear, knowing that the reach of terrorism has breached even the innermost corners of their lives. Despite military operations continuing across the most terror-stricken regions of Balochistan, such as Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad and Operation Zarb-e-Azb before it, the bloodletting persists. Law enforcement agencies and other security bodies present in the region are ostensibly there to protect civilians, yet attacks like the one in Panjgur raise serious questions about their efficacy. If even homes are vulnerable under their watch, what real protection do they provide?
The landscape of terror in Balochistan is multifaceted. On one front, outlawed separatist groups like the BLA continue their reign of violence, pushing a separatist agenda through acts of terror. Simultaneously, religious extremists wage their own war, inflicting further chaos upon the already fractured province. Adding to this combustible mix are the attacks by radicalized Baloch insurgents. The result is a region that is perceived as a no-go area by many, with entire communities living under siege. Bodies continue to pile up, and the state’s response remains muted, confined largely to statements of condemnation and reports on the mounting death toll. What is lacking is a robust, decisive action to end the reign of terror once and for all. There is also the insidious backdrop of separatist propaganda, often fueled by Pakistan’s adversaries, which seeks to exploit these tragic circumstances. Speculation is rife about Balochistan being led down the path of secession, with misinformation campaigns spreading like wildfire.
Yet, despite these looming threats, the state’s security apparatus appears to be caught off guard, failing to pre-empt or effectively counter such deadly attacks. Military operations under the banner of ‘Azm-e-Istahkam’ (Resolve for Stability) are underway, and while the intent behind these efforts is commendable, their scope clearly needs to expand. Without hesitation, the theatre of these operations must be widened to root out every vestige of terror lurking in Balochistan’s far-flung areas. Yet, the onus of securing the region should not rest solely on the military. Other law enforcement and intelligence agencies need to step up, employing their resources and expertise to safeguard the local population, as well as the countless migrants who have come to Balochistan for work, lured by the promise of economic opportunity but now confronted with the brutal reality of life in a warzone. If Balochistan is to avoid further descent into chaos, swift and uncompromising action is required. The state must not delay in bringing the full weight of its security forces to bear on the terrorists who continue to destabilize the province. But beyond military might, there must be a cohesive strategy that addresses the socio-political grievances fueling this insurgency, one that assures the people of Balochistan that their lives and livelihoods are not disposable. The people of Balochistan, and Pakistan at large, deserve more than token responses to terror. They deserve peace.
