The Quetta incident in which nearly 25 people including 14 girl students were killed in a terrorist attack followed by another attack on the hospital where the injured were being treated is very shocking. This is the latest in a series of recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan. Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s residency in Ziarat was earlier blown up in a similar bomb attack.

Balochistan has since long witnessed nationalist insurgency. The province was rocked by insurgent attacks in 1948 followed by such incidents in 1963-68 and 1973-1979. Since 2005 however insurgency is continuing unabated.

Demands varying from autonomy to complete independence are behind the upheavals. But there has been a marked change in the nature of the insurgency. It was always secular in character in the beginning with the focus being largely on opposition against Islamabad in controlling their affairs. In the current scenario there are a number of factors at play which have contributed to the law and order problem and it is difficult to figure out exactly who are the real actors behind the killings.

For quite some time, Balochistan has assumed a significant position compared to its geostrategic importance in the 19th and 20th century, thanks to the Gawadar port. This deep-sea port is being developed with the assistance of China and the port operations will be handled by a Chinese company. Also, there are plans to build roads and lay pipelines from southern coast of Pakistan to Chinese provinces in the north of Pakistan. These are significant developments which attract big powers because their economic and strategic interests are connected.

Balochistan shot into international limelight after the US congressional hearing, introduction of a Balochistan bill in the Congress and highly publicized meeting of Balochistan National Front leaders in Berlin last year.

Against this backdrop, what Pakistani leaders need to do is to take the situation in Balochistan very seriously. Mere rhetoric or use of force without taking into account the ramifications of such an action are bound to backfire. Baloch people’s demands must be heard with open mind and if there were commitments made in the past those should be honored in a decent and accommodative way. The fear is that if wisdom does not prevail we may witness more tragic incidents in Balochistan. — Shaukat Ali, Dhahran