Baluchistan:

Third Incident of Attack on Labours of Punjab:

 Seven barbershop workers were killed and one was injured on Thursday in Surbandar,
Gwadar when unknown gunmen entered their residential quarters and opened fire on
them while they were sleeping, police officials said.
 Nine passengers were pulled off a bus in Noshki by militants last month and after their
papers were checked, the men were later found murdered under a bridge.
 Meanwhile, six labourers were killed as they slept last October in Turbat. In all these
incidents, the victims were originally from Punjab. No cause can justify these ghastly
crimes.
Two Previous attacks in detail:
 Last month, the group carried out a significant attack, killing nine people from central
Punjab who were planning on reaching Europe through Iran. Based on their ethnicity,
BLA gunmen abducted them from a bus bound for Taftan and later dumped their
bodies under a bridge in a hilly area of Noshki.
 In a similar attack, possibly by the same gunmen, two people were killed when they
tried to escape the assailants’ cordon on N-40, the Quetta-Noshki highway. Following
the Noshki attack, the BLA issued a statement claiming that its special squad had killed
‘agents’ of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies who, they claimed, were travelling in plain
clothes on the bus. However, media reports and investigations later revealed that the
victims were using the Balochistan route to travel to Iran and onward to Europe.

Purpose:
 The apparent aim of these reprehensible acts is to foment ethnic unrest by targeting
individuals of a certain ethnicity or regional background.
 While locals in Balochistan should be given preference in jobs, there can be absolutely
no justification for targeting workers from outside the province trying to make an
honest living there.
 It is a matter of concern that terrorists have struck at a time when the state has raised
the need for a political dialogue in Balochistan. The involvement of hostile foreign
actors cannot be ruled out either, especially given the fact that the Chinese are active
in Balochistan, while Gulf investors are also considering putting money into schemes
in the province.
 Baloch militants view workers and travellers from Punjab as collaborators or agents of
security forces or the federal government. Attacks targeting Punjabi workers and
settlers have occurred in various parts of the province in the past.
 It appears that the insurgents kill settlers because they are non-combatants and, as
such, easy targets. Militant groups assign such tasks to their new recruits to test their
conviction and draw them into the cycle of violence. While one can comprehend
Baloch grievances against the state institutions and Punjab, it is also crucial to
understand why they target non-combatants who have been serving them for years.
  At the national level, the province’s poor human development and governance
indicators leave ample space for resistance politics. Sociopolitical changes often
trigger paradoxical sentiments, with simultaneous pro-development and anti-
development attitudes emerging.
 When the sense of deprivation intensifies, and resource distribution becomes
contentious, it creates a conducive environment for militants to recruit, expand, and
diversify their targets and tactics. Targeting non-combatants of the majority group
reflects a deepening societal anger at this level. This is the most crucial level, as the
state has to rethink and correct its approach towards Balochistan.
Why Attacks not Justifiable:
 Most of the victims are driven by poverty to leave their homes and families behind
just to ensure their loved ones have food on the table.
 Moreover, citizens of all federating units have the right to live and work anywhere in
Pakistan, so targeting people by terming them ‘settlers’ and ‘outsiders’ is totally
unacceptable.
Way Forward:
 If prosperity comes to Balochistan, and locals are given employment opportunities
through foreign investment, the narrative of the separatists will be seriously punctured.
The state needs to provide security to all Balochistan’s people, while those involved in
these gruesome crimes must be brought to justice.
Mainstreaming Balochistan:
Those at the helm are completely aware of the Baloch peoples’ grievances, who are being
harmed by the misguided dissidents.

In a key development for the restoration of peace in the Balochistan province, Commander of
Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA) Sarfaraz Bangulzai, along with his 70 companions on
December 20, last year surrendered to the state and joined the national mainstream.
Balochistan’s top separatist leader Gulzar Imam alias Shambay who was also the founder of
the banned outfit BNA was arrested on April 7, 2023.
Addressing the media along with Home Minister Ziaullah Langove on May 13, 2023, Gulzar
Imam apologized for terrorism-related attacks and urged all insurgents operating in
Balochistan to surrender and adopt a peaceful life, saying that rights could only be achieved
through political and constitutional struggle.
Gulzar Imam’s arrest was a big setback to the terrorist groups and their handlers in
Balochistan. It was also a big success for Pakistani intelligence agencies—Law Enforcement
Agencies (LEAs)—sequel to an excellent intelligence operation by the country’s primary
intelligence agency ISI which captured this terrorist who was living under the wings of hostile
foreign intelligence agencies.
In fact, various separatist terror groups have cast a shadow on the genuine aspirations of the
Baloch people. Shambay’s capture created a leadership vacuum within the BNA which was
formed after the merger of the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA) and the United Baloch
Army (UBA). This resulted into internal conflicts over resources and finances, severely
hampering the insurgency’s capacity to function as a cohesive unit. Hence, BNA now appears
on the verge of collapse. This crack offers a golden opportunity for reconciliation, as offered
by Pakistan. The kind treatment extended to surrendered militants, like Sarfaraz Bangulzai
and his men, presents an enticing scheme for others. Bangulzai’s defection has also created a
domino effect, leading to a mass exodus from the BNA.
This crucial situation presents an exceptional opportunity to explore possibilities of peace
dialogues.
Therefore, the Pakistan Government emphasises reconciliation with the aim of fostering a
sense of shared identity—belonging among the varied groups of Balochistan.
The Baloch is an inclusive nation, making efforts for a peaceful and prosperous future for all
people. Any endeavor to create division among them in the name of greater Balochistan is
nothing but a designed strategy to break Pakistan. And India has been targeting Balochistan
to divert the world’s attention from the atrocities, being committed by the Indian security
forces in the Indian Occupied Kashmir. This narrative stress that Balochistan belongs to its
people and the state will not allow anarchists working at the behest of foreign agencies to
hijack Baloch nationalism.
Those at the helm are completely aware of the Baloch peoples’ grievances, who are being
harmed by the misguided dissidents.
Talking cognizance of these concerns, the government offers Baloch youth opportunities for
success through improved access to quality education and employment opportunities. It also
pledged a share in the prosperity promised by the exploration of mineral resources in the
province.

Meanwhile, law enforcement actions and the fencing of the international border have
improved security in Balochistan. Coupled with the offer of reconciliation presents a
compelling reason for separatists to lay down arms and rejoin the mainstream. The
responsibility of the patriotic Baloch is to reject these anarchists’ conspiracy through
collective action and cooperation with the security forces.

The country’s efforts to develop Balochistan should be explained especially China-Pakistan

Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, including the development of Gwadar Port. These
initiatives aim to generate revenue for Balochistan and to create jobs for their people.
The latest terrorist attacks on these projects prove the insurgents’ intention to weaken the
development in the province. The question arises as to why the progress of the province was
targeted by the so-called nationalists who claim that they are fighting for the rights of the
Baloch.
However, the ASAs are hampering Balochistan’s progress by attacking vital infrastructure
projects like dams, communication facilities, and transportation networks. These moves are
portrayed as inflicting real damage on the Baloch people themselves, hindering economic
development and essential services.

Moreover, the human rights activists have continued their propaganda campaign in their call
against the illegal abductions, while setting aside the ASA’s recruitment of students into
militants’ outfits, which is a clear violation of the right to education and a tactic to manipulate
young people. As regards the issue of missing persons, the state contends that exaggerated
figures are being quoted and that many missing persons are actually hiding in the insurgents’
camps.

Recent events like the involvement of Abdul Wadood Satakzai and Karim Jan Baloch in
terrorist assaults are being used as instances of Baloch youth being exploited by human rights
activists—in a long march seen as propaganda against Pakistan. Such actions also hinder
genuine efforts towards peace and reconciliation.

Nevertheless, this critical state of affairs necessitates the continuation of genuine endeavours
to address the root causes of the separatist elements, ensuring fair treatment of all Balochi
people and adopting a real sense of justice.

Now, BNA and other separatist groups must reconcile and surrender for ultimate integration
into the society, which can lead to the development of Balochistan as well as Pakistan.