Terrorism rears its ugly head

The PM’s timing could have been better

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the federal Cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday that the government was committed to eliminating terrorism entirely. The same day, the reality of terrorism was on show in Ziairat, Balochistan where at a police checkpoint, nine policemen were martyred, including two SHOs. This was followed by an operation against the terrorists, in which 15 of them were killed. The idea is not to keep score or to show the ability to inflict retribution, as the Ziarat operation seems to have done. It should be to prevent the need for retribution. The enormity of what happened in Ziarat is no petty incident. The killing of two SHOs should rattle the whole country, for it not only means the loss of two experienced officers, it also means a disregard for law and order that will make it that much more difficult to restore. It should be remembered that the prevention of crime before it occurs, as opposed to detecting it when it does and punishing it afterwards, depends either on the potential miscreant refraining for fear of detection or because he trusts the ability of the state to do justice.

The assembled cabinet should not involve itself in the nitty-gritty of intelligence gathering or operational planning, but focus on eliminating those causes deep in the background that provide militant organizations with what seems to be a conveyor belt of recruits. These do not include many of the Baloch-specific grievances, both real and imagined, which give Baloch nationalists so many recruits, but those deficiencies which are common to the whole country, and which should be eliminated anyhow, if the state was providing good governance. These include jobs for the youth, proper healthcare, and education providing a vision of the wider world.There is also the question of being treated with dignity, which is not something that state officials are known for.

There is an intensity of operations in Balochistan because along with religious and sectarian militancy, there is also nationalism to contend with. At the moment, the military operations with the Taliban are worsening the situation, as Afghanistan not only provides the Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan safe havens, but has helped them increase their operations. It should be noted that the TTP is primarily involved in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also operates in the Pashtun areas of Balochistan. The federal and provincial governments must fulfill their responsibilities in this area without treading on each other’s toes.