Throughout the year, we continue to hear horrific news of sectarian killings at the hands of foreign-sponsored insurgencies in Pakistan’s western region, Balochistan. This year kicked off with yet another tragic piece of news straight from the land of miseries about the killing of coal mine workers, all of whom were members of the Hazara community. Persecuted at the hands of then King Abdur Rehman Khan, they fled their native region of Afghanistan and came to Quetta hoping for a better quality of life. However, this did not mark the end of their plight. Later, when the Taliban took over the reign of Afghanistan, their existence was further threatened as they continued to follow the Shia sect under the influence of hardline Sunni Taliban rule.
With more killings in Afghanistan, Pakistan welcomed another influx of Hazara migrants to Quetta. However, with their lives at stake in Pakistan as well, the community has been forced to isolate themselves away from the main city of Quetta and towards two ghetto towns. Their fears of remaining within the city stem from the genocide they have been facing for decades. As young Hazaras dodge life threats, they have opted to settle outside of Balochistan to receive quality education for creating a better life and a more prosperous future.
Critics believe that PM Imran Khan’s cold response to the Hazara incident and the condition of burying the martyred cold miners before his visit to Quetta questions the presence of the ‘State of Madinah’, and challenges the ability of his statesmanship. Khan’s short-sighted aides might not see the backlash his government is facing internationally but it’s resounding—especially considering that the world media is comparing New Zealand’s PM, Jacinda Ardern’s, quick move to reaching out to her Muslim community following the Christchurch attack to that of Khan’s reaction.
Despite the government’s reassurance to restore peace, and tightened security measures in the pursuit of the NAP, the province still is the host of incidents that become breaking news on every news channel in the country. Furthermore, banned religious outfits funded by anti-Pakistani spy agencies gain momentum by targeting minorities like the Hazara community on the pretext of Shia-Sunni differences. This is the easiest way to spur unrest in the province to such a degree that instability within the South-Asian region could be made possible. Recently, a former Indian army officer claimed, in an Indian televised interview, of having close ties with Baloch separatist movement leaders and confessed RAW’s staunch support in getting Balochistan its independence from Pakistan. Since this claim, there have been multiple attacks on Pakistan’s military personnel—all of which were carried out by Baloch terrorist organisations. Also, Indian newspapers confirmed the presence of the Balochistan Liberation Army’s (BLA) leaders in Indian territory, as they are lodged and have been seeking medical treatments for several years. With that said, the explicit Indo-Baloch connection, backed by Indian intelligence agencies, is the reason for sectarian killings, economic backwardness, and an increased influence of Indian funded Baloch separatist leaders like Brahamdagh Bugti.
Of course, with unmet security measures and Baloch separatist movements backing militant attacks on Chinese officials, certain projects under CPEC have been jeopardised. A country marred by billions of dollars’ worth of corruption by former incapable governments failed to provide an effective solution to resolve sectarian violence and separatist movements. The Indian media, swayed by the Modi government, slanders Pakistan for persecuting the Hazara community and accuses the federal government of depriving Balochistan of its due share in the country’s natural resources. That’s not all; the fake news reports highlighting issues from political instability, economic turmoil to bomb blasts and ‘CPEC invading Balochistan’ serve India’s agenda to propagate false narratives against Pakistan globally. Just fairly recently, Indian Navy’s ex-commander, Kulbhushan Jadhav, confessed about his role in supporting terrorist activities and creating unrest with the backing of RAW in Pakistan—all of which were executed through Baloch separatist leaders. Also, the Indian consulates in Afghanistan serve as a command and surveillance centre which is supervised by trained Indian army officials. Such individuals have been tasked to carry out terrorist activities, spy on Pakistan’s arsenals, and channel terrorists into Pakistan through the Pak-Afghan border.
However, the security officials maintained that their consistent efforts in carrying out actions against militant hideouts and improved intelligence-based operations against perpetrators have resulted in sporadic attacks on Hazaras. As a result of such operations, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi elements inside and outside of Quetta have been eliminated. Also, with the great effort of the Pakistani media, and the Foreign Office, quality literature and briefings on Indian involvement in Balochistan have been distributed.