PAKISTAN Baluchistan: More than 70 dead in separatist groups’ ‘hunt for Punjabis’

The victims were targeted and killed on ethnic grounds in a standoff with the government in Islamabad. Prime Minister Sharif has promised a decisive response to terrorism. Father Khalid Rashid Asi: “They indiscriminately attacked innocent people.” Arif Khattak, journalist: “The attack has nothing to do with the rights of the Baloch people.”

Baluchistan () – “The state has failed to establish peace in the country. The Baluchistan Liberation Army has committed terrible acts in the province, which are not only condemnable but, if I am honest, my heart cries after seeing the dead bodies of innocent people.” Fr. Khalid Rashid Asi spoke to about the attack on Sunday afternoon in the town of Rarasham, near the border between Baluchistan and Punjab, in which 23 people from Punjab were killed. The attack, claimed by the BLA, was not the only one. In fact, more than 70 people were killed in several simultaneous attacks (10 in Qalaat, 6 in Sibbi and 23 Punjabis in Moosa Khel), according to the separatist army.

“They killed 23 innocent Punjabis after identifying them, which shows that their hearts are filled with hatred against Punjabis. This racial hatred and discrimination is very dangerous,” added Fr. Khalid Rashid Asi. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was quick to make statements today, saying that a “resolute decision” was needed to combat the terrorism that is rife in the region. “There is no room for weakness,” he added at a meeting of the federal cabinet in Islamabad, and called for national unity to face this moment of crisis. As of last night, 12 terrorists had also been killed and many wounded in clashes with security forces. Dozens of militants affiliated with the BLA were involved in the numerous attacks. The situation in the province is extremely unstable and serious at the moment. That same day, rail traffic with Quetta was suspended due to explosions on a railway bridge in the town of Bolan, which connects the provincial capital to the rest of Pakistan.

Arif Khattak, a journalist and writer, said that “the way the Baloch Liberation Army has started killing innocent people in the name of Punjabi identity has shown that it has nothing to do with the rights of the Baloch people.” Addressing the terrorists who have in the last few hours attacked security personnel and civilians mainly from Punjab, stormed police stations, blown up railway tracks and set dozens of vehicles on fire, he said that they are not only fighting against state institutions but have transferred this fight to the innocent masses and their homes. “You have lost your moral values. You have now entered the list of the worst enemies of Balochistan,” he said. He stressed how little the actions of these armed groups fighting against the Pakistani government have to do with the desire for autonomy and independence of the province, one of the poorest in Pakistan, and with the self-determination of the Baloch population.

This is the second such attack this year. In April, nine passengers were forced off a bus near the town of Noshki in Baluchistan and shot dead after gunmen checked their identity cards. Punjab residents are often employed in natural resource exploitation projects in the region, often organised by the central government in Pakistan, and are therefore a frequent target of separatist attacks. “The Pakistani army should take control and bring these terrorists to justice. It seems that it is not possible to build peace in the province,” says Fr Khalid Rashid Asi. He believes that the main problem is above all a conflict of culture and interests. “With such terrorist actions, the Baluchistan Liberation Army is turning people against them and they are starting to hate them. We want peace in our country and the state should fulfil its role and take concrete measures,” he concludes.