It is not the first Quetta, the provincial capital of the largest province of Pakistan; Baluchistan is under attack by the terrorists. Hundreds of thousands have migrated to other provinces or have left the country to get refuge abroad, but menace of terrorism is not being control despite of counter-terrorism strategies by the law enforcing agencies.
On Thursday, at least twelve people were killed in three incidents of terrorism. Unidentified armed men killed eight members of the ethnic Hazara community and injured six others in the Hazar Ganji area of the city. A study revealed couple of weeks before by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Balochistan chapter showed that the violence has driven as many as 200,000 Hazaras to relocate to other major cities of Pakistan or move abroad.
In another terrorist incident, At least two people were killed and dozens injured when a suspected suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) rally in Quetta. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman remained unhurt in the attack, which targeted his bullet-proof vehicle. Blast took place as thousands of JUI-F supporters left the venue at the end of the rally, which was held in honour of Mufti Mehmood at the Sadiq Shaheed stadium. The bomber blew himself up when he failed to climb the vehicle and was stopped by JUI workers. UI-F chief Fazlur Rehman said that the blast targeted his vehicle as he was departing from the venue of the rally. He said that he and his colleagues survived the attack as they were riding in a bullet-proof vehicle. The blast on Thursday was the third incident of terrorism of the day in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province which is plagued by a nationalist insurgency and extremist militancy. Banned militant group Jundallah has claimed responsibility for the attack. The leader of JUI F remained safe because of his bullet-proof vehicle but what the government is doing for the security of the people who do not have the luxury of bullet-proof vehicles? Would they keep suffering? Would their grievances ever be redressed or they would keep rendering their lives for the reason they are not aware with? It seems that our law enforcing agencies have miserably failed to provide the security to the common people.
In the third attack of terrorism of the day, two people were killed and 12 were injured in an explosion that took place on Qambrani road as unidentified gunmen opened fire in the area following the explosion which was heard far and wide. The target of the attack was said to be a vehicle of the Frontier Corps (FC). The blast was followed by intense firing and panic spread in the area and, people were confined to their homes and shops. It was not the first incident of violence on the same road. Militants in recent days have intensified attacks against security forces and national installations in Balochistan, plagued by an insurgency and growing sectarian killings for more than a decade.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while taking notice of the incidents, directed the security agencies to ensure the arrests of the culprits. The premier ordered that swift and stern action is taken to bring the perpetrators to justice. The prime minister moreover directed the interior secretary to file an official report following a thorough investigation of the incident. But this is not the first time authorities ensured the rapid arrest of the culprits, they have pledges the same again and again but failed to do so. Shutter-down strike was observed in most parts of Quetta city, Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch arrived to condole victims at the Combined Military Hospital to express solidarity with the protesters at Alamdar Road. It is the time that incumbent federal and provincial government should make it their top priority to provide the security to the people as security of lives is the top most duty of the state, prior to the health and education and other facilities.
Hundreds of innocent people of Hazara community have been killed in last few years. It has happened number of times that the families who lost their loved ones refused to bury the dead bodies in a protest against the silence of the government to provide them security, they have staged the sit-ins, after the pledges of the high-ups of the government they buried the dead bodies that the terrorism would be arrested soon. But these pledges remained the tall claims of the law making authorities and despite claiming the responsibilities of the attacks by the banned outfits like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jindullah, none of the terrorist was brought to justice. It seems that authorities are playing with the emotions of the innocent people or trying to test their patience.
