Attack in Quetta: 3 dead. ‘Dialogue with the Beluchi, the only way to fight terrorism’

An explosion in the Barech market area, among the victims a doctor known for his cancer treatments. The massacre comes after the indiscriminate arrests following the seizure of the Jaffar Express train. Local civil society voices to AsiaNews: ‘The government must find a clear solution to the long-standing demands of the Baloch people’.

Quetta (AsiaNews) – Another serious terrorist attack today has struck the city of Quetta, in a new wound in the conflict in Balochistan. An explosion occurred near a police vehicle in the Barech market area, on Double Road: three people were killed and many others were injured including four policemen.

Among those who lost their lives in the explosion was Dr Mehar Ullah Tareen, a well-known doctor in Pakistan specialising in cancer treatment. The new massacre comes in the aftermath of a new wave of arrests following the seizure of the Jaffar Express train, which indiscriminately targeted the most prominent figures among the Baloch people.

Aamir Kakkazai, a writer and analyst from Peshawar, told AsiaNews about this new tragic day for Quetta: ‘For 25 years, after the brutal killing of Nawab Akber Bugti by the security forces, the Balochistan area has been under fire. Unfortunately, the Pakistani state has never tried to resolve the problem through the political process: it has always tried to resolve the problem by force. The main reason for the Beluchi resentment is the kidnapping of their people, whom the state claims are terrorists. But the only solution to stem terrorism is to entrust local and provincial government to the people elected by the people of Beluchistan’.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Naseem Anthony, human rights activist and programme director of the organisation AWAM, said: ‘Terrorist activities in Balochistan must be condemned; there is no solution in armed activities. But the reappearance of terrorist elements underlines the failure of an authoritarian, top-down approach. In a critical context such as the current one, it is imperative that political actors step forward, reach out to the communities concerned and engage in meaningful dialogue rather than repressing dissent. The use of force by security agencies against their own citizens can never be justified. It is time to open up a space for dialogue, to examine the protests of the families of the disappeared and to allow these people to freely exercise their rights of expression, association, assembly and thought. The history of Pakistan itself says that heavy-handed tactics have never paid off.’

Irfan Mufti, writer, analyst and deputy director of the South Asia Partnership Pakistan and coordinator of the Joint Action Committee, told AsiaNews: ‘We condemn the current wave of violence and terrorism and the loss of precious lives. We must separate those involved in these heinous crimes from those legitimately claiming their rights to land, to life, to security and to freedom from fear. We want all possible means to be utilised to stem terrorism in its form and substance, but also to start a meaningful dialogue with those who want a political solution to their long-standing demands and within a constitutional and political framework. The Joint Action Committee calls for the leadership of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, including Mahrang, Beberg, Sammi Deen, Lala Wahab and others, to be released and the politically motivated charges against them to be dropped as a first step towards peaceful political dialogue.

‘It is very important that the government find a clear solution to the long-standing demands of the Baloch people,’ concludes Irfan Mufti, ’in particular their genuine request to address the issues of forced disappearances, missing persons, economic deprivation and the right to their land.’