Editorial
Saturday, September 01, 2012
From Print Edition
It would be surprising if we were to pick up a newspaper and see no headlines narrating tales of sectarian or other kinds of violence from Balochistan. The latest news tells of the killing of additional sessions judge Syed Zulfiqar Naqvi who was gunned down along with his driver and guard while on his way to work from the GOR sector in Quetta. The death is being treated as yet another sectarian killing, with Shia groups and the legal fraternity staging protests across the country. An investigation has been ordered. Will it lead anywhere, we ask? We really do not know. Despite similar inquiries, the frequency of sectarian killings has only grown over the last few years, with the Hazara Shia community bearing the brunt of the killing in many cases. Three more members of that community were shot dead only a few days ago. The murder of the sessions judge was obviously well-planned and carried out by motorcyclists who aimed a hail of bullets into his car as they rode past. It seems obvious that extremist forces are behind the planning and execution of such crimes. Why they cannot be apprehended and a strong message sent out by punishing their leaders under the law is far from clear. The helplessness of the government and the forces of law and order only encourages further violence.
The descent of Balochistan into a spiral of endless death has been recorded by the autonomous Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its latest report based on a fact-finding mission to the province. The report notes that things appear to have worsened since 2011 when the last fact-finding mission to the province conducted its work. Greater Talibanisation and the growth of extremism have been noted during the intervening period. The Commission also notes that violence runs in layers, with criminal elements, nationalist elements and sectarian elements all involved in one way or the other. The lack of governance adds to the entire ambit of problems as does the growing rage and feeling of alienation among the people of Balochistan. The pertinent questions at this stage are: why are the authorities unable to ruthlessly clamp down on sectarian forces that operate freely in the area? Are there any solutions to end this ruthless spiral of killings? We certainly do not see them on the horizon. Sectarian violence is splitting Quetta and Balochistan apart. It has created a terrible sense of fear and adds to the dark clouds that hover continuously over the province. The real tragedy is that no winds are blowing from any other direction to blow these dark clouds away.
Saturday, September 01, 2012
From Print Edition
It would be surprising if we were to pick up a newspaper and see no headlines narrating tales of sectarian or other kinds of violence from Balochistan. The latest news tells of the killing of additional sessions judge Syed Zulfiqar Naqvi who was gunned down along with his driver and guard while on his way to work from the GOR sector in Quetta. The death is being treated as yet another sectarian killing, with Shia groups and the legal fraternity staging protests across the country. An investigation has been ordered. Will it lead anywhere, we ask? We really do not know. Despite similar inquiries, the frequency of sectarian killings has only grown over the last few years, with the Hazara Shia community bearing the brunt of the killing in many cases. Three more members of that community were shot dead only a few days ago. The murder of the sessions judge was obviously well-planned and carried out by motorcyclists who aimed a hail of bullets into his car as they rode past. It seems obvious that extremist forces are behind the planning and execution of such crimes. Why they cannot be apprehended and a strong message sent out by punishing their leaders under the law is far from clear. The helplessness of the government and the forces of law and order only encourages further violence.
The descent of Balochistan into a spiral of endless death has been recorded by the autonomous Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its latest report based on a fact-finding mission to the province. The report notes that things appear to have worsened since 2011 when the last fact-finding mission to the province conducted its work. Greater Talibanisation and the growth of extremism have been noted during the intervening period. The Commission also notes that violence runs in layers, with criminal elements, nationalist elements and sectarian elements all involved in one way or the other. The lack of governance adds to the entire ambit of problems as does the growing rage and feeling of alienation among the people of Balochistan. The pertinent questions at this stage are: why are the authorities unable to ruthlessly clamp down on sectarian forces that operate freely in the area? Are there any solutions to end this ruthless spiral of killings? We certainly do not see them on the horizon. Sectarian violence is splitting Quetta and Balochistan apart. It has created a terrible sense of fear and adds to the dark clouds that hover continuously over the province. The real tragedy is that no winds are blowing from any other direction to blow these dark clouds away.
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