The people of Balochistan have had a difficult month. Summer has brought many tragedies as it seems that terrorism is once again on the rise in the province. In May, more than 20 people were killed and over half a dozen injured in various acts of terrorism across the province.
In the north of the province, it appears that the Islamic State and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other extremist groups are motivated to commit acts of terrorism. In the south, in this case the Makran division, it seems there are Baloch separatist groups who are motivated by nationalist sentiments.
In May, most incidents of terror were reported from north Balochistan. However, the most devastating attack this month took place in the south: on May 11, three insurgents from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) stormed Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel in Gwadar. This hotel was the symbol of foreign investment in Balochistan and the BLA attacked it to make a point. The attack failed to inflict huge casualties as planned by the Baloch insurgents. After a 20-hour operation, this attack ended with the death of eight people, including the three attackers. The incident once again reminded the Chinese that the province they are in is not free from conflict.
In north Balochistan, in and around Quetta city, there have been a series of smaller attacks. This is a matter of grave concern for the provincial government as their frequency is rising. On May 12, a traffic sergeant was gunned down in Mastung town. On May 14, four policemen were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Quetta. On May 24, a bomb killed four people in a mosque in Quetta, including the prayer leader. The next day, a vehicle of a commandant of the Frontier Corps (FC) was targeted with a bomb in Qilla Abdullah district. Responsibility for most of these attacks was claimed either by IS or the TTP or their splinter groups.
In north Balochistan, IS has been very active lately, with attacks targeting security personnel and people who are associated with the state in any way. The rise of IS in Balochistan is alarming for the security landscape of the province because recently IS announced expansion plans. This global terror franchise announced to establish Islamic State Pakistan Province (ISPP) earlier this month. Apparently, Balochistan is the centre stage for the expansion of ISPP in Pakistan. This is evident from the repeated attacks by this group in the province.
The government of Balochistan also realises this threat of terrorism posed by IS. Therefore, on May 16, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Balochistan police, with the help of other law enforcement agencies, raided an alleged hideout of IS in Kabo area of Mastung. This raid lasted for more than 12 hours and ended in dismantling this hideout and the death of alleged IS militants. This action by the security forces was an operational success in the war against terrorism in Balochistan, but it is not enough to prevent the onslaught of global terror machine known as IS.
The latest surge in terror attacks in north Balochistan can be linked to the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan. As the Afghan endgame nears in the form of peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, forces hostile to Pakistan have intensified their attacks allegedly from Afghan soil. They are using these attacks to inflict damages on Pakistan and pressurise the country in the run up to the final settlement on Afghanistan.
In the south Balochistan, the surge in attacks is due to the rejuvenated offensive of Baloch insurgents against Chinese-backed investment projects in the province. These attacks are meant to scare away the Chinese from Balochistan. The beginning of the latest insurgency can be traced back to the establishment of Gwadar port in the early 2000s. Therefore, Baloch insurgents have no love lost for China. However, it is hard to imagine that Chinese officials will pack their bags and leave Balochistan as a response to the attacks from Baloch insurgents. China, being a global economic giant, has a huge risk appetite and attacks by Baloch insurgents cannot make it change its policy. However, these attacks will delay the progress of CPEC projects in Balochistan and will also increase security costs.
Balochistan is facing the brunt of these attacks due to two main reasons. First, due to its vast geographical area, Balochistan is an easy target. Terror outfits like IS can easily penetrate deep into the province and find sanctuary in the vast heartlands. Second, the security apparatus in Balochistan has not worked effectively in the last two decades. Balochistan spends a huge amount of resources on law and order but terrorism does not seem to go away. In the budget for the year 2018-19, Balochistan government allocated Rs38 billion for law and order, which makes up almost 15 percent of the total provincial budget. This means that despite spending a fortune on security, the government of Balochistan has not succeeded in ensuring reasonable level of peace in the province.
Even under these circumstances, the government of Balochistan is busy with merging the Levies with the police, which many believe to be a futile exercise which will further increase the cost of security without bringing any meaningful change in the security landscape. Therefore, the government of Balochistan needs to revise its security and counterterrorism strategy. It needs to make its security forces more effective, which should have the capability to pre-empt major terror attacks. These steps can help in control terrorism in Balochistan. However, in the case of north Balochistan, counter-terrorism operations alone are not enough. The government has to engage in a political settlement of Baloch insurgency to completely end the violent attacks by them.
The author is a journalist and researcher based in Quetta. He can be reached on Twitter @iAdnanAamir
In the north of the province, it appears that the Islamic State and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other extremist groups are motivated to commit acts of terrorism. In the south, in this case the Makran division, it seems there are Baloch separatist groups who are motivated by nationalist sentiments.
In May, most incidents of terror were reported from north Balochistan. However, the most devastating attack this month took place in the south: on May 11, three insurgents from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) stormed Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel in Gwadar. This hotel was the symbol of foreign investment in Balochistan and the BLA attacked it to make a point. The attack failed to inflict huge casualties as planned by the Baloch insurgents. After a 20-hour operation, this attack ended with the death of eight people, including the three attackers. The incident once again reminded the Chinese that the province they are in is not free from conflict.
In north Balochistan, in and around Quetta city, there have been a series of smaller attacks. This is a matter of grave concern for the provincial government as their frequency is rising. On May 12, a traffic sergeant was gunned down in Mastung town. On May 14, four policemen were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in Quetta. On May 24, a bomb killed four people in a mosque in Quetta, including the prayer leader. The next day, a vehicle of a commandant of the Frontier Corps (FC) was targeted with a bomb in Qilla Abdullah district. Responsibility for most of these attacks was claimed either by IS or the TTP or their splinter groups.
The latest surge in terror attacks in north Balochistan is also being linked to the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan
In north Balochistan, IS has been very active lately, with attacks targeting security personnel and people who are associated with the state in any way. The rise of IS in Balochistan is alarming for the security landscape of the province because recently IS announced expansion plans. This global terror franchise announced to establish Islamic State Pakistan Province (ISPP) earlier this month. Apparently, Balochistan is the centre stage for the expansion of ISPP in Pakistan. This is evident from the repeated attacks by this group in the province.
The government of Balochistan also realises this threat of terrorism posed by IS. Therefore, on May 16, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Balochistan police, with the help of other law enforcement agencies, raided an alleged hideout of IS in Kabo area of Mastung. This raid lasted for more than 12 hours and ended in dismantling this hideout and the death of alleged IS militants. This action by the security forces was an operational success in the war against terrorism in Balochistan, but it is not enough to prevent the onslaught of global terror machine known as IS.
The latest surge in terror attacks in north Balochistan can be linked to the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan. As the Afghan endgame nears in the form of peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, forces hostile to Pakistan have intensified their attacks allegedly from Afghan soil. They are using these attacks to inflict damages on Pakistan and pressurise the country in the run up to the final settlement on Afghanistan.
In the south Balochistan, the surge in attacks is due to the rejuvenated offensive of Baloch insurgents against Chinese-backed investment projects in the province. These attacks are meant to scare away the Chinese from Balochistan. The beginning of the latest insurgency can be traced back to the establishment of Gwadar port in the early 2000s. Therefore, Baloch insurgents have no love lost for China. However, it is hard to imagine that Chinese officials will pack their bags and leave Balochistan as a response to the attacks from Baloch insurgents. China, being a global economic giant, has a huge risk appetite and attacks by Baloch insurgents cannot make it change its policy. However, these attacks will delay the progress of CPEC projects in Balochistan and will also increase security costs.
Balochistan is facing the brunt of these attacks due to two main reasons. First, due to its vast geographical area, Balochistan is an easy target. Terror outfits like IS can easily penetrate deep into the province and find sanctuary in the vast heartlands. Second, the security apparatus in Balochistan has not worked effectively in the last two decades. Balochistan spends a huge amount of resources on law and order but terrorism does not seem to go away. In the budget for the year 2018-19, Balochistan government allocated Rs38 billion for law and order, which makes up almost 15 percent of the total provincial budget. This means that despite spending a fortune on security, the government of Balochistan has not succeeded in ensuring reasonable level of peace in the province.
Even under these circumstances, the government of Balochistan is busy with merging the Levies with the police, which many believe to be a futile exercise which will further increase the cost of security without bringing any meaningful change in the security landscape. Therefore, the government of Balochistan needs to revise its security and counterterrorism strategy. It needs to make its security forces more effective, which should have the capability to pre-empt major terror attacks. These steps can help in control terrorism in Balochistan. However, in the case of north Balochistan, counter-terrorism operations alone are not enough. The government has to engage in a political settlement of Baloch insurgency to completely end the violent attacks by them.
The author is a journalist and researcher based in Quetta. He can be reached on Twitter @iAdnanAamir