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THE rising death toll from the reported clashes between security forces and outlawed terrorist groups tells less than half the story of Balochistan. The strategically important province has been suffering for decades, and the crisis continues to worsen. Blocking the news cannot alter the reality on the ground. The situation points to a fractured state that is losing both public trust and effective control.
Unfortunately, there is little attempt to address the political and social causes of the crisis. The state’s reliance on kinetic tactics shows that it has learned few lessons from the failed policies over the past two decades. After scores of policemen were killed in Ziarat earlier this month, the prime minister briefly interrupted his foreign tours to visit Quetta and reiterated that his government would fight until the last terrorist.
We have heard this refrain for years, even as terrorism is taking hold across the province. The latest wave of attacks underscores the growing operational capacity of the groups. Security forces say they have killed hundreds of terrorists in operations, yet there has been no tangible sign of the violence abating. If anything, it is spreading. Viewing the Balochistan crisis solely through a security prism has only deepened people’s alienation.
