24 November, the day of big power show is now the past. Person locked up in Adiala Jail and Islamabad are not the only physical and territorial entities that symbolise Pakistan.
The more pressing issues are of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. Blast this month at Quetta railway station is alarming where there he Majid Brigade, a militant organisation accepted suicidal. It was not only one incident but it is of importance as the target were the security forces. In the last two months more than 200 people have been killed in Balochistan . All roads from Balochistan to Punjab are insecure and a massive migration started from Balochistan of poor Punjabi settlers and mine workers.
On the other hand, KP and is burning. Burning is a simplistic word and way to describe the situation in the region. There is little to no state authority in KP when it comes to law enforcement. Not only the traditional TTP but other factors are also involved such as disputes over land ownership and sectarianism. The situation has reached heights especially in Kurram. This shows that not only the security apparatus but also the ruling federal and provincial parties are incapable of dealing effectively with militancy.
The most serious aspect is that Islamabad establishment is not being prudent. The mere strategy adopted to resolve the conflicts marring the region is through barrel of the gun and coercion even at the cost of lives of innocent civilians.
Holistically, political pundits believe that negotiations with ‘qaidi’ number 804 are still possible along with the militant groups in KP and Balochistan.
However, what happens in the end mostly depends entirely on the whims of power corridors of Pindi who haven’t of course learnt from the past. Lastly, amid the politics of ‘dharnas’ and inept security the common people suffer, as they have for decades.
