Pakistan is under an ongoing terror threat, and it seems the targets this time are our strategic projects, the aim seemingly to disrupt any progress the country tries to make. Tuesday saw a terror attack killing six people including five Chinese engineers in Shangla. The details thus far say that a woman was among five Chinese citizens and a Pakistani driver killed when their vehicle was attacked in Shangla's Besham city when a suicide bomber crashed an explosives-laden vehicle into the car carrying the victims. The Chinese nationals were reportedly working on the Dasu Hydropower Project. The condemnations have come fast. Most importantly, Pakistan's military has pledged that all those involved in aiding terrorism, directly or indirectly, will be held accountable. In a statement by ISPR, the military has said that "certain foreign elements" are complicit in aiding and abetting terrorism in Pakistan and that "strategic projects and sensitive sites" vital for the country's economic progress are being targeted. It has certainly been a bad few months for the country as far as attacks go. In particular, the targeting of Chinese projects is alarming. The military too has pointed to this and said this seems to be an attempt to "sow discord between Pakistan and its strategic allies and partners, most notably China".
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan has said that the Chinese are trying to handle the aftermath together with the Pakistani side and has requested Pakistan to “thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators” while saying that all measures are being taken to protect Chinese citizens and projects in Pakistan. All this is happening also at a time when overall terror incidents are on the rise in Pakistan. Just less than 24 hours earlier, between late Monday night and Tuesday (March 25-26) security forces thwarted a terrorist attack on PNS Siddique naval base in Turbat, Balochistan in which one sepoy was martyred. This followed another attack successfully countered by security forces in the same region on March 20 when terrorists targeted the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) Complex; the incident ended in all eight attackers dead while two soldiers embraced martyrdom. Last Monday (March 19, 2024), security forces struck terrorists belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the TTP inside Afghanistan, following an attack on a security post in Mir Ali, North Waziristan that led to the martyrdom of seven Pakistani soldiers including two officers. The perpetrator of the Mir Ali attack was eliminated in the Afghanistan strikes along with at least seven others.
Whoever the terrorist, the fact is that Pakistan is facing a wave of terror now that is focusing on debilitating any economic and development revival we aim at. Experts have previously pointed out that the TTP and its affiliate groups have made inroads in Balochistan also. It is important that such alliances and networks be broken through intelligence operations and on-ground operations. Afghanistan has been warned several times by Pakistan but TTP safe havens still exist there. It is important to remember that an attack on any foreign workers in the country is an attack not just on their lives but also on Pakistan's collective livelihood. The TTP and the current terror challenge will need an all-of-country approach to be dealt with. The National Action Plan is essential at this time. Together with Nacta, which must also be given new life, this is the only way to deal with the multiple terrorism, militancy, and insurgency challenges. One encouraging sign is how both the civilian and military sides of the state are united and adamant in not giving any leeway to terrorism and terrorist outfits like the TPP. This is the way forward.