Bomb blasts in Balochistan

There is no let-up in terrorist violence in Balochistan. On Friday, at least 20 people were killed and 60 wounded - 10 of them critically - in a suicide bombing in Hazarganji, Quetta's fruit and vegetable market. A few hours later in Chaman, a motorcycle bomb blast targeted a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle, leaving one person dead and 12 others injured, including two FC personnel. Many of the victims in the first explosion belonged to the besieged Shia Hazara community. Home Minister Ziaullah Langov was of the view that the Hazaras were not the specific target since the casualties included people from other communities.
Security forces in Balochistan are frequently attacked by militants of different hues. Just last month, six personnel of the Balochistan Levies Force were martyred in a Sanjavi area of Ziarat district for which the TTP terrorists took credit. But the Hazaras are most vulnerable to sectarian terrorism since they are easily distinguishable for their sectarian affiliation from their facial features. During the last five to six years, more than 500 members of the community have been killed, and many more injured, forcing some to move to other parts of the country or to seek asylum abroad. The rest live in two ghettoized neighbourhoods of Quetta, unable to send their children to schools in other areas of the city or pursue activities of their liking. They can venture out for business purposes only with a security escort. In fact, at the time the suicide bomber struck in the Quetta market, the Hazara traders were busy loading fruit and vegetables onto a vehicle accompanied by FC personnel. After the attack, the survivors were protected by FC and police contingents and shifted to the Hazara Town. No one should have to live in perpetual fear, unable to lead a normal life.
As is usual following such horrors, various government leaders expressed shock and dismay over the killings. Prime Minister Imran Khan has sought a report on the incident whilst Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani ordered installation of CCTV cameras in the Hazarganji market and speeding up of operations against terrorists and extremists as well as those who supported them. That resolve must not fizzle out until the next atrocity happens. Such tragedies could have been averted had the previous governments, both in the province and the centre, had fully implemented the National Action Plan. The present government has been expressing its determination to do that. It remains to be seen if the words are to be translated into action.