By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The government ruled out talks with separatist militants on Friday, a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the southwestern province of Balochistan, where a string of deadly attacks has killed over 50 people, including 19 security personnel.
PM Sharif said there would be no dialogue with “terrorists and enemies of peace”, but urged authorities to address grievances of young ethnic Baloch people and bring them into the mainstream.
“One thing is sure, those who are terrorists and enemies who are against peace in Pakistan, there is no question of holding a dialogue with them,” Sharif told a federal cabinet meeting.
However, the premier emphasized the need to address the grievances of young Baloch people who have been detracted by a different narrative. “But as some political elements said, a few youngsters have been detracted through a different narrative, we should try to bring them to the mainstream.”
Dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launched numerous attacks on Sunday midnight across Balochistan, targeting security personnel and civilians, particularly those from Punjab. They went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles.
A fresh wave of violence has erupted in Balochistan, where young ethnic Baloch are leading protests against alleged enforced disappearances and human rights abuses by security forces, who reject the accusations.
Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan’s poorest province, despite an abundance of untapped natural resources, and lags behind the rest of the country in education, employment and economic development.
The province is also home to major China-led projects such as a deep-water port and a gold and copper mine.
During his visit, Sharif received a detailed presentation by Balochistan Corps Commander Lt Gen Rahat Naseem on how “terrorists are sowing the seeds of hatred and also receiving help from abroad.”
Plot to Sabotage SCO Summit
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the recent attacks were planned to disrupt a Pakistan-hosted summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in October.
Islamabad is set to host the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting from October 15-16 under its rotating chairmanship.
“We have identified clear links showing that they planned to ruin the SCO conference,” Naqvi told the Senate. “A lot of people are in anguish so that it should not be organized.”
Naqvi said the attacks were a conspiracy against the summit and that “terrorist organizations had carried them out together”.
“The incident on the night of August 26 was not a normal one. There was complete planning behind it,” he added. “Those who do not accept the state and take up arms are terrorists and we will deal with them.”
Intelligence-based Operations
The military said on Friday it had killed five militants and injured three in multiple intelligence-based operations in Balochistan.
“The security forces are conducting extensive intelligence-based operations to hunt down the perpetrators of these heinous acts,” the military’s media wing said. “On night 29/30 August, in three separate IBOs in District Kech, Panjgur and Zhob, five terrorists were sent to hell by the security forces, while three terrorists got injured during the intense fire exchange.”
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