Tahira Khan
On Monday, we witnessed one of the deadliest attacks in the history of Quetta which not only wiped out 70 lives but the entire generation of lawyers along with journalists with single stroke of suicide blast. Balochistan, where it is impossible for any foreign journalist even to enter, was having only one source of provision of justice which has been silenced now, deliberately.
Earlier that morning, Bilal Anwar Kasai, President of Balochistan Bar Association, was fatally shot down when he was on his way to work. He was then sent to City Hospital for treatment where the actual incident took place. Attack was aimed at mournful lawyers who immediately reached hospital for their injured president. (Bilal Anwar Kasai later succumbed to his injuries).
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That incident is not of the first kind which has compelled province to spot heartbreaking decimation of top notch educated class. Before this, a lawyer along with principal law college was targeted on different occasion which has left a Province in more lawlessness state where Shia-Sunni extremism and Baloch insurgency are already ripening their fruits.
Blame game not only helps the concerned authorities to deflect responsibility but also succeed in diverting attention from many crucial political, social and economic issues
After every incident, a game of blaming start flourishing itself on media whose only responsibility is to monopolize facts in order to benefit political elite. Same fate was written for recent Quetta carnage where few made TTP, ISIS and al-Qaida responsible for massacre where the remaining ones pointed fingers at Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). This doesn’t only help the concerned authorities to deflect responsibility but also succeed in diverting attention from many crucial political, social and economic issues. None of us termed it ultimate failure of security establishment and law enforcement agencies. Indeed, such statements are misleading and self-serving which has nothing to do with reality.
Let’s suppose the attack was executed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The presumption is excluding the role of ISIS because our so-called analysts are considering it to be duplicitous in nature.
After APS school attack in December 2014, state engineered her first anti-terrorism plan particularly called as National Action Plan (NAP). The twenty point agenda ended up formulating Military courts and lifting moratorium with 170 executions which undermined constitutional and due process, and later bred seeds of revenge and retaliation. The root causes of structural and governance failure are remained unaddressed which speaks volume of our stupidity and non-sense.
Since 9/11 our foreign policy has been relying upon militancy to accomplish strategic goals. Now, when the policy has started backfiring along with our failed strategic setup in what capacity we are accusing TTP, Al-Qaida or ISIS for such brutal acts?
Now, after this above mentioned evaluation, is TTP responsible for bloodletting? A big ‘NO’ is waiting ahead for all of us.
Let’s move towards another guesstimate which speculates RAW to be behind that gore.
After couple of seconds of Quetta blast, CM Balochistan, Nawab Sanaullah Zahra, issued statement regarding alleged RAW involvement behind that bloody violence and suicide bombing. Sir, with due respect, I do have few questions.
Q: 1) How do you come to know that suicide bomber was having alleged links with RAW rightly after the occurrence of blast as the cases of suicide bombing are always complicated in nature and difficult to scrutinize?
Q:2) If our intelligence is that much effective and accurate then why it failed, in its first place, in foiling India’s bid to takeout her plan of producing unrest and committing savagery in Balochistan?
Q: 3) What steps have been taken by provincial government and Frontier Corps (FC), up till now, to tackle the problem of RAW?
Q:4) What about the previous suicide bombings? Whom should we blame for these attacks?
Obviously, no effective and inclusive reply will resurface to answer the above mentioned questions.
Yes, there exits irrefutable evidence against RAW who doesn’t only fund Baloch separatist movement but also trying to put obstacles in the implementation of China-Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC). They are doing for their own purpose in order to achieve their target which is a part of India’s old rotten legacy of power politics. Their acts are not having any moral and legal justification but still this is not the case to solely blame them for every fault.
We have also been a part of power politics and proxy wars since long. Our Jihadist policy against Soviet Invasion and Taliban formula to cater Indian hegemony over Kabul administration are also having no moral and legal justification. Am I right?
Let’s have a turn towards our own strategic faults and defective policies again.
RAW has been using Afghan and Iranian soil in order to put their activities. As far as, our diplomatic channel is considered, there has been huge trust deficit lying in Pak-Afghan relationship. In case of Iran, no effort has been made to clarify the situation which has been clearly envisaged by recent Rohanni’s statement denying any discussion with our military elite regarding RAW. There is dire need of methodical efforts, which are never brought into existence, to remove spoilers and to bridge the vacuum which is widening day by day whether it is the case of Iran or Afghanistan. Aren’t we allowing RAW to spread its roots deeper and deeper in the region?
Gwadar is not having accessibility towards clean drinking water and we are launching a billion dollar project as a game changer in the city
As far as CPEC is considered, local leaders are now asking for original copy of the agreement which took place between China and Pakistan. Gwadar is not having accessibility towards clean drinking water and we are launching a billion dollar project as a game changer in the heart of respective city. Does it make any sense?
Is RAW responsible for this faulty diplomatic as well as strategic apparatus? Certainly, not.
To put things in the perspective: Intelligence and government has left loopholes of grave proportions which can benefit any hostile agency whether it is RAW, TTP, ISIS or Al-Qaida. Instead of correcting our strategies, we blame others and this will be continued as there lays no accountability network.
Quetta blast will not change anything as we are habitual to not learn from the past. There is no sign of change in the near future as well but unending darkness which will continue to haunt us till we don’t voice our worst fears. After every attack, we will mourn for three days along with condemning others and then will be back towards our usual business. The continuation of this ugly vicious circle is our only reality and nothing else. At least, I am not capable of seeing light at the end of tunnel.
Writer is a Student of BS Honors Political Science, Punjab University, Lahore
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
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