QUETTA: The pre-planned suicide attack on the lawyers’ community, the backbone of democratic struggle and the defenders of basic human rights in Balochistan, had badly shaken the deep foundation of the Pakistani establishment. The anger in the Baloch society is understandable as more than 50 top and leading lawyers of the society were martyred in the single terrorist attack. Why they were made the target?

Every important man of the country was here to consol the people of Balochistan, mainly the dominating intellectual class that had always provided lead to the people in general using the Bar as the biggest centre for defending the people’s inalienable human rights in all circumstances.

On the security front, the top brass is putting the blame on rival India and its hostile security agency, for the deadly attack in Quetta to destabilize the situation in Balochistan for strategic reasons. Presumably, it is main cause of panic found among some people and some others desperately trying to build bridges and boost the morale of the common people without any loss of time.

The well known group of terrorists had made the claim that they were responsible for suicide attack at the Civil Hospital, Quetta, which left 74 innocent people killed and 130 others wounded.  It is the duty of the security forces to chase the specific group of terrorists instead of chasing others.

Taliban had publicly declared a war against the State of Pakistan and vow to establish Emirate-i-Islami replacing the existing State of Pakistan. Most of them are same people who were recruited by General Ziaul Haq and his colleagues for defending the strategic interests inside Afghanistan following the Soviet invasion. For a couple of year, the plan succeeded to rule Afghanistan using the proxy Taliban.

The Army General Staff sought a meeting with the senior most Baloch leader, late Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo, and discussed the issue of Afghanistan following the Red Army invasion of Afghanistan. It was the time when General Zia rejected the US military aid terming it ‘peanuts’. Pakistani Establishment considered Bizenjo as a pro-Moscow politician and given importance to his views on the issue of Afghanistan and the Soviet designs in the region.

For this specific reason, the Army General Staff wanted to consult him and wanted his views in the Afghan crisis, particularly the southward push of the Red Army Contingents in the region. Bizenjo gave his opinion and made a request to the Army Generals, mainly General Ziaul Haq, not hire the religious and mercenaries from Afghanistan as they will turn their guns towards Islamabad once you stop paying them. His prophecy proved to be correct and soon the Taliban started the war against the State of Pakistan as predicted by late Bizenjo, a visionary Baloch leader.

It was the US military might that dislodged the Taliban from Afghanistan forcing them to take refuge in Pakistan. All the Taliban leaders, including the top brass, were found in Pakistan following the 9/11 and the US invasion of Afghanistan.

Balochistan witnessed this change in the shape of MMA, dominated by JUI-F, winning 19 seats in 2002 general elections and become the key coalition partner in Balochistan Government where it ruled the province for three consecutive tenures. Political analysts interpreted that action as making Balochistan and KPK as friendly border provinces for Taliban militants. At the same time, General Musharraf continues to ride the bandwagon of the NATO forces in Afghanistan or become a partner in the war against terror.

Since then, the Taliban groups, both from the political and military fronts, are present in Pakistan, mainly in KPK and Balochistan and the people felt their presence to this date in shape of suicide bombers, facilitators, harbouring terrorists and above in the shape of political leadership Mulla Akhtar Mansur who was targeted and killed by US drone near Ahmedwal, at the outskirts of district Headquarters Naushki.

It is strange that sitting Minister claiming that there is no groups of Taliban or IS militants operating in Balochistan and elsewhere in Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan had confirmed that IS chief in Pakistan was killed in US drone attack in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan recently. The security forces had launched the operation Zarb-i-Hezb in FATA and the IS and Taliban militants got enough time to flee to Afghanistan and establish their hideouts there where the US drone found the top leaders and killed him along with 30 other militants.

The terrorist groups had established their presence in Balochistan thus they should be chased and wiped out before they strike again. The Minister and officials should not ignore their presence in Balochistan for political reason. The people should cooperate with the security forces in identifying the terrorists so that action should be taken against them in time and they are destroyed before they inflict any damage or attack another soft target in any part of Pakistan.

The security situation has become serious and at the same time, political leaders at the highest level had decided to confront each other on political and economic front ignoring the major security threat to Pakistan from its neighbours and their allies from the distant regions.

Ch Nisar, the Federal Interior Minister, was founded to be the real man who is trying to provoke a deeper political crisis by leveling charges and using questionable remarks against the political opponents. With uncalled for remarks, he is trying to push the political opponents to the wall.

It was his speeches and allegations that the PPP had decided to confront the PML Government and create more difficulties for the Government to operate.

In case of Baloch conflict, the State will have to negotiate a peace with the Baloch militants finding an amicable solution in the interest of peace in the region. There were many peace agreements in the past and on many occasions and people laid down their arms and enjoyed their peaceful life like ordinary citizens. The Baloch conflict should not be equated with terrorism of religious fanatics and extremists operating under the cover of Taliban and IS groups.

It is in the interest of Pakistan that there should be peace in the country to face the crises in our neighbourhood or deal with the dangerous security situation around Pakistan, in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, Gulf countries, mainly the serious threat to the Mekran Coast right from Straits of Hormuz to Karachi as a great war is on to seek control over Mekran Coast.

The conflict is between the Gulf countries and Iran and they may fight the war on Mekran Coast overlooking the Gulf of Oman posing a serious threat to Chah Bahar and the nearby multi-purpose military, naval and air base of Konarak.

The Iranian forces were found fully alert and commanders are off and on claiming that they are prepared for a war with ‘enemy’—the US-Arab alliance in the region. Any disruption of peace in our neighbourhood will affect us in a big way as we will be compelled to choose side in the unwanted war in our next door. It will be the third front as Afghanistan and India had already adopted hostile attitude towards Pakistan and its policies.