- Terrorism in Balochistan
Over the last decade the incidence of terrorist attacks has significantly come down in the country. The credit goes to the security forces that launched a major operation in North Waziristan followed by intelligence-based raids on terrorist networks. A greater awareness on the part of the civil administration also helped reduce terrorist attacks which were too common in big cities of the country but have scaled down, though not altogether stopped. Terrorist activity has generally been confined now to areas bordering the tribal belt.
On account of its proximity to Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan remains a province where terrorist attacks are still too common. These are perpetrated by a number of groups including anti-Hazara sectarian terrorists, Baloch separatists, TTP, Hizbul Ahrar and the Islamic State (IS), the last three mostly targeting security personnel besides settling scores with one another. Most of these networks are stationed in Afghanistan and return to their safe havens in the neighbouring country after playing havoc in Balochistan. The deadly Friday attack in a mosque in Quetta that killed at least 15 and injured 18 has been claimed by the IS which targeted the mosque because a leader of their rival Taliban network was supposed to offer prayers there
Like the guerrillas of a bygone era, the present day terrorists too fight the war of the flea, and their military enemy suffers the well-known disadvantages: too much to defend; too small, ubiquitous and agile an enemy to come to grips with. Since the terrorists do not enjoy the sympathy of the masses, they rely increasingly on smart phones and the Internet to maintain contact with one another and their handlers. They also depend on social media to recruit newcomers and disseminate DiY packages on how to make IEDs and conduct suicide attacks. This makes the role of the intelligence agencies crucial as they have better equipment to track the terrorists, intercept their messages, gather information about their sleeper cells and foil their designs. The Balochistan government does not possess the expertise needed to cope with the modern-day terrorists. Prime security agencies that now also include NACTA alone have the means to rid Balochistan of the menace of terrorist attacks.
