TWO bomb explosions in Quetta, coming at a time when the country is already shaken by terrorism, should concern the government, which has not been able to find a cure for the growing malaise. As many as 11 people were injured, two of them critically, when the blasts ripped through two crowded business centres in the city. The concerned SSP tried to downplay the incident by observing that there was just one bomb and the other blast was caused by an exploding gas cylinder, as if the law enforcement agencies are not supposed to respond to a situation where an act of terrorism does not meet some measured magnitude. Now consider some basic facts behind the blast at a CD Centre. A man walked into the shop and immediately came out of it, leaving a shopping-bag inside. The police was intimated about the suspected explosive, but it did not bother to alert the bomb disposal unit. It rushed to the spot but only after the explosion had occurred. The shop owner and other traders dealing in the CD business had been receiving threats from a militant organisation that if they did not immediately stop what they termed an un-Islamic business, they would have to face the consequences. But the police did not beef up security around this plaza, which being a busy place in ordinary times, had been drawing even larger crowds due to Eid. Before this, Balochistan was not familiar with this kind of crisis where the so-called religious organizations would start issuing warnings to videoshop owners in a bid to enforce shariat as is the practice in the restive tribal region and some settled parts of the Frontier Province, currently in the grip of violence. The federal government must take a break from other activities and focus its attention on addressing the genuine concerns of the Baloch population, which was compelled to take up arms after being subjected to the worst kind of repression in the last nine years. Balochistan needs a healing touch. It cannot be left to the mercy of the elements desperate to foist on the nation their version of religion.