Situation ‘intolerable’

2026-02-02 - 23:06

AS Balochistan was rocked by coordinated terrorist attacks in different areas, Pakistan seems to be losing patience with continued reluctance of the Kabul regime to address its concerns vis-à-vis presence of safe havens for terrorists on Afghan soil. The country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, highlighting the “exponential rise” in cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghanistan, warned that the situation has become “intolerable for Pakistan”. He pointed out that the Afghan Taliban were sheltering militant groups operating against Pakistan and also underlined India’s long-standing support for proxy elements active from Afghan soil. The hike in terrorism, propelled by all-inclusive support from India and Afghanistan, has assumed dangerous dimensions as was highlighted by Saturday’s suicide and gun attacks at multiple locations in Balochistan. The scale and intensity of the threat can be judged by the fact that terrorists hit more than a dozen targets in different regions of the province and the ensuing 40 hour operation became one of the most fiercest in the history of the province in which nearly 200 people were killed – 145 BLA fighters, 15 security personnel and 31 civilians. The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks in a social media post, describing them as the second phase of “Operation Heroof.” Officials say the BLA’s suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade, has developed links with other anti-Pakistan terrorist outfits operating out of Afghanistan. Security sources also said that Indian media outlets and India-linked social media accounts amplified support for Fitna al Hindustan during the attacks, which they described as a coordinated hostile information campaign. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has said that the intelligence agencies had advance information about the planned assaults, prompting pre-emptive operations a day earlier in areas including north-eastern Quetta, Panjgur and Sherani besides preventing planned attacks in the provincial capital. More than 5,800 intelligence-based operations were conducted over the 40-hour period, which speaks volumes about the nature of the problem as well as alertness of the agencies concerned. This is also an indication how far India and Afghanistan have gone in sponsoring acts of terrorism in fulfillment of their designs to destabilize Pakistan. It may be pointed out that Pakistan’s concerns were also highlighted by China with its Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei emphasizing the need to strengthen engagement and cooperation with Afghanistan to prevent it from once again becoming a safe haven for terrorist organizations and to jointly prevent and address the return of foreign terrorist fighters. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres raised similar concerns at a briefing in New York, highlighting the threat posed by groups operating from Afghan soil particularly the outlawed TTP. The large presence of the TTP in Afghanistan, together with BLA and their terrorist acts against Pakistan from Afghan soil, have also been reported by the UN Monitoring Team. This and a number of other statements of the world leaders, reports by regional and global agencies and media accounts authenticate Pakistan’s claims about involvement of the foreign hand in the growing surge in terrorism in the country. This also rubbishes allegations of some vested interests and circles that what is happening in Balochistan is the result of local grievances and so-called injustices. The hollowness of such allegations is also evident from the fact that efforts are also being made to paint the historic initiative of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which centres on development of Gwadar as a regional economic hub, as a tool to benefit others at the cost of locals. In fact, those indulging in such propaganda want people of the province to remain deprived of the fruits of development and modernization. This also makes it clear as to why the militants routinely attack mines and kill workers from other provinces. The reality is dawning upon the people of Balochistan and with their cooperation the security forces will surely take the ongoing war against terrorism to its logical conclusion.