The city of Quetta has perhaps suffered the most at the hand of terrorists and despite repeated claims of peace returning to the province the city remains far from safe. On Wednesday at least seven people, including six policemen, were killed in a blast.
Quetta has been repeatedly targeted by terrorists in the last decade with attacks against law enforcement agencies and the Hazara community increased in recent months. Earlier in October three members of the ethnic Hazara community and two other Shias were killed in the Kasi road area. More than 1,400 incidents targeting the minority Shia and Hazara community have taken place in the province during the past 15 years.
Apart from the Hazara community the targeting of law enforcement agencies has also increased. Back in August fifteen people, including eight soldiers, were martyred when a suicide bomber targeted a military truck near the Pishin bus stop in Quetta. Earlier in June, 14 people including seven policemen lost their lives in a suicide blast in Quetta’s Gulistan Road area. Last year in October in a major attack terrorist stuck at police training college in Quetta killing 61 cadets. Two months before that in another major terror incident terrorists targeted Quetta’s Civil Hospital killing at least 70 people (mostly lawyers).
The series of attacks show that despite some success in bringing peace to the terror ravaged province, there is a lot still left to do. The involvement of hostile foreign agencies in terror activities in the province is also a reality but ensuring that these hostile agencies are eliminated completely from the province is also the job of the provincial government and law enforcement agencies. Convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav also admitted involvement in espionage and sabotage activities in Karachi and Balochistan which has proved India’s hand in terror incidents in the province.
Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in a recent visit to Gwadar had said that the development of Balochistan was “extremely important” for the progress of Pakistan. However, the development of Balochistan is directly linked with peace in the province. Law enforcement agencies and the provincial government should review their counter terror strategy to bring peace to the city that has already sacrificed a lot.
