Pakistan, Balochistan: Despite its abundance of natural resources, Balochistan, a province in Pakistan, has not seen the socioeconomic upliftment it deserves, and the state needs to figure out the reason.
In the past year, the province’s security has been compromised due to the presence of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Afghani Taliban. This security issue is further compounded by the apathy of the Provincial and Federal governments.
A recent report by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) revealed that there were close to 376 terror attacks in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in the past year, the majority of which were carried out by banned terror outfits TTP, Daish (Islamic State Khorasan) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
These attacks led to an exponential surge in violence and fatalities, with government officials, law enforcement officers, and civilians among the victims.
The wide presence of the TTP in the Pakistan province of Balochistan left people in worry after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2022.
The Afghani Taliban declined to help, and the TTP is now on the rampage in two provinces of the country. In the national capital, it is time the Pakistani state reevaluated its security calculus.
The situation in Balochistan has been deteriorating for years. Abbas Nasir, the former Editor of Dawn, wrote, “The policy followed so far has imposed considerable pain and agony on the Law Enforcement personnel and the Baloch population alike.” He further noted that the “iron-hand policy”, executed since the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006, has not produced any positive outcomes.
As per the Center, after November 28, there was a notable rise in terrorist attacks in KP and Balochistan, with over twenty strikes happening in December.