The Balochistan tragedy
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....
Pakistan’s Balochistan province is facing a worsening crisis that cannot be explained by casualty figures alone, according to a Dawn opinion piece that argues the state’s response has remained too narrowly focused on force.
The article says the recent rise in reported clashes between security forces and outlawed militant groups reflects a deeper breakdown in governance, public trust and state authority across the province. It argues that blocking or limiting news coverage does not change conditions on the ground, and that the violence is accelerating rather than easing.
A central theme of the piece is that Balochistan’s problems did not begin with the latest attacks. The writer traces the current phase of unrest back two decades, linking it to the killing of tribal leader Akbar Bugti during the Musharraf era. The article says that move helped trigger wider violence and deepen alienation in a province that had seen a period of relative political calm after civilian rule returned in 1988.
The column also points to long-standing grievances over resource control, royalties from the Sui gas field and what it describes as an overly centralised system. It says a Senate subcommittee had once recommended higher royalties and greater attention to socioeconomic concerns, but that those recommendations were not acted upon.
According to the piece, the state’s repeated reliance on security operations has not solved the problem. Instead, it argues, heavy-handed tactics, the expansion of the security footprint and reports of abuses such as enforced disappearances have pushed more people away from the political mainstream and, in some cases, toward armed groups. It also says nationalist parties were sidelined while unrepresentative governments were installed.
The article warns that the insurgency is no longer confined to the tribal heartland and says violence has spread into other parts of the province, including Makran and coastal areas. It describes the current moment as one in which militant groups appear to have greater operational capacity, while the state’s writ is weakening.
The writer also raises concern about the broader regional setting, including the border with Afghanistan and instability in neighboring Iran, saying such conditions could create more space for violent actors. Still, the article argues that external factors cannot be used to excuse the failure to address local political and democratic grievances.
This report is based on a monitored public feed and reflects the views expressed in Dawn’s published piece. Source attribution is included below.
Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017455/the-balochistan-tragedy
