In a tragic incident that took place on Wednesday morning, four individuals, including a police officer and three civilians were killed in a suicide attack near a Balochistan Constabulary truck in Quetta’s Baleli area. According to reports, 27 others were injured in the attack which took place near a police truck which was on its way to provide security to polio workers.
As feared, the TTP had claimed responsibility for the attacks. The blast comes just a day after the militant group called off the ceasefire the government and asked its fighters to carry out attacks across the country. This is a clear call for bloodshed from the militant group and we need to act fast because the TTP cells appear to have infiltrated and established around the country.
For a nation that has experienced years of violence by religious extremists who did not even spare women and children, this is an extremely concerning and chilling development. What we need to come to terms with and accept is the fact that our previous strategy of veering between force and appeasement has failed. For groups such as the TTP, negotiations are a means to buy space and time to regroup.
What we urgently need is a clear-sighted approach and policy to deal with violent extremists. We have sufficient resources and the experience required for kinetic operations, but we will also need measures on the political front such as reviewing and reviving the National Action Plan (NAP). What we need is a multi-pronged strategy to deal with terrorism and radicalization and must work towards further clamping down on the financial channels that are used by militant groups. We have wasted precious time by not consolidating our military gains, and now find ourselves in a position where we have to fight off older demons and ensure that the situation does not spiral out of control like it did in the past.