Terror in Zhob

Terror again visited Balochistan, with the cold-blooded abduction and execution of nine passengers near Zhob, Balochistan, on Thursday night. The passengers, reportedly targeted based on their ethnic identity, were not victims of chance but of a carefully planned act of hatred that is obviously designed to stoke division and weaken Pakistan. Mere condemnations are also not enough. Not anymore. What Balochistan now needs is unity, clarity and decisive action. The assailants operated with brutal efficiency – stopping buses, separating passengers and choosing whom to kill. This was no random act of violence. It was targeted, deliberate and ideologically driven.This was terrorism.

And yet, this is not an isolated incident. The pattern is grimly familiar. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and similar groups have a long history of attacks on civilians, security forces and development projects, especially those tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They have bombed schools, killed children, hijacked trains and now have once again executed innocent travelers because of their ethnicity. While nothing is certain yet as to the identity of the attackers, media reports said that banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for the attack. To label these militants as mere ‘insurgents’ is to whitewash the horrors they commit. They are trained terrorists and their backers are no secret either. The evidence, laid bare time and again by Pakistani authorities, points to India’s involvement in fueling instability in Balochistan. India’s support for groups like the BLA or its offshoots is a threat to peace in South Asia. Funding terrorism, exploiting ethnic divisions and targeting economic lifelines like CPEC: this is all designed to keep Pakistan on the defensive. And it is working, unless we act with clarity and resolve.

But let us also be clear: there is a vital distinction between the Baloch people and Baloch terrorist groups. The grievances of the people of Balochistan, ranging from underdevelopment to political alienation, are real and must be addressed. Confusing their struggle with the actions of terror groups like the BLA does a grave injustice to the people themselves. They do not support such bloodshed. They do not cheer the deaths of innocent Punjabis, children on school buses or foreign workers trying to improve local infrastructure. The path forward must be three-fold.

First, the state must respond with unflinching force against terrorist groups and their sponsors. The protection of Pakistani citizens, regardless of province or ethnicity, must be absolute and non-negotiable. Second, the political leadership must re-engage with Balochistan’s civil society and youth. They must be heard, not through the barrel of a gun but through the forum of democratic dialogue and constitutional justice. And, third, India’s international image as a democracy must no longer shield its actions from global scrutiny. From sponsoring cross-border attacks to political assassinations on foreign soil, its fingerprints are increasingly visible. The world must reckon with the reality of a nuclear-armed state playing with fire in its neighbourhood. And Pakistan must learn to speak with one voice. One voice without force, though. In memory of the nine who were killed near Zhob, in honour of every child martyred in Khuzdar, in the respect of all those that are trying to create a more equal Balochistan and in defiance of those who seek to divide us, state and government and civil society must all stand together to start a process of justice as well as healing. There is no future without an open and honest dialogue and a recognition of all the fault-lines.