Will Balochistan be the next target?

ON 24 May, Balochistan was once again drenched in blood. Just before Eid al-Adha, innocent people were heading home to meet their loved ones when Indian-backed terrorists carried out a suicide attack in Quetta. Women, children and elderly passengers were among those martyred, along with five brave Frontier Corps soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. These terrorists claim they are fighting for “freedom,” yet their victims are unarmed civilians. One must ask: is freedom achieved by slaughtering women and children? The people they target are ordinary passengers whose only crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Such acts have nothing to do with Islam, humanity or the aspirations of the Baloch people. The crucial question is: who is behind these attacks? One of the suicide bombers was reportedly linked to a so-called “missing person” whose image had been circulated by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) as evidence of state oppression. The same individual later emerged as the killer of innocent civilians. Groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attempt to present themselves as representatives of Balochistan, but terrorism cannot be legitimized through claims of ethnic representation. Throughout history, terrorist organizations have used narratives of victimhood to justify violence and attract support. The BLA follows the same pattern. Simply being born into a Baloch family does not grant anyone the authority to speak on behalf of millions of Baloch people. Representation comes through public support and collective consent. Did the Baloch people ever authorize the BLA to impose the will of a few thousand armed men on more than twenty million citizens? Did they permit them to kill labourers, traders, barbers, travelers and public servants? The answer is a big NO. The people of Balochistan participate in elections under Pakistan’s constitutional framework, vote for their representatives and take part in democratic institutions. Yet the