Justice needed

The brutal killing of a woman in the Dannuk area of Turbat in Balochistan last week has created a wave of anger among Baloch people. While news from Balochistan itself is thin on the ground, gatherings of protesters, most of them Baloch, from areas of Karachi such as Lyari and Malir, have drawn attention to the incident. Malika Naz, who was sleeping outside her house as is the custom in summer months, was killed while resisting a robbery attempt on her house (in Dannuk). Her four-year-old daughter Bramsh was severely injured with bullet wounds. The people of Turbat have been complaining for long that their lives and properties are constantly under threat at the hands of criminal gangs roaming around in that area. They have been trying to invite the attention of the authorities to do something about it, but to no avail. Two of the gang members have reportedly been arrested but the head of the gang is still at large.

Kech district is not new to such reports. Locals have been saying that the ruling party has been unable to control rampant crimes of such nature in Balochistan generally, and in Kech particularly. The recent incident has sparked a series of protests across the province and must be tackled with respect and responsibility that can assuage the concerns of not only the victims of this crime but also of the local people who need to be assured that the government and the state institutions are there to protect the people from such criminals. Such inhuman acts of brutality must be stopped and the criminals brought to book. The wave of deaths in Balochistan has become more and more widespread over the years, with ethnic, criminal, nationalist and sectarian factors all involved. The violence simply adds to the feelings of unrest in Balochistan and the sense of insecurity amongst its people.

The Turbat incident must be investigated properly and peaceful protests be allowed so that people can vent their anger. Balochistan badly needs law and order, created by beginning a dialogue with all stakeholders and winning them over to the idea of a peaceful province which forms an important part of the federation of Pakistan. We need to do more for the people of a province whose voices are rarely heard and too often ignored. The government needs to devise a policy to ensure that the country’s biggest province in terms of territory can find the potential it holds to contribute to the wellbeing of Pakistan and its people do not suffer the almost constant bouts of violence that have killed so many from various backgrounds.