The week saw a relatively fragile calm prevailing in Balochistan with no major incident of violence being reported. In sum, two people, one civilian and a security official, were shot dead in two different episodes of violence across the province.

Asian Human Rights Commission, in its statement, released on November 11, slated Pakistan government for its failure to curtail the ongoing unabated spree of killings in Balochistan. It highlighted that from July 2010 till date ‘there have been 215 extrajudicial killings of missing persons’ in the province.

In different acts of sabotage and subversion, United Baloch Army (UBA) destroyed three power-supply poles in Kohlu district on November 12.

Public officials who were busy in finalizing the electoral lists in Balochistan, especially in Baloch dominated areas, complained of insecurity because of prevalent precariousness of law and order situation in those areas.

Due to lack of financial resources, expertise and infrastructure, Balochistan government appealed to the federal government on November 13 to take control of provincial projects, earlier transferred to the province as a result of devolution plan under 18^th amendment, till the next National Financial Commission (NFC) Award.

Week in Review

a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion

• Two suspected militants armed with automatic weapons shot dead one person namely Nasrullah in Mastung district on November 10. However, police reached the spot on time and arrested both the armed men, who were later on, identified as Ghulam Murtaza and Abdul Khaliq.[1]
• Lal Mohammad, a constable of the Levies Force, was shot dead near Goth Bachal in Gandawah area of Jhal Magsi district on November 11. Separately, two persons sustained injuries in a landmine blast in the Loti area of Dera Bugti on November 11. Meanwhile, a student of Balochistan Residential College Khuzdar and a government contractor were abducted on November 11 from Khuzdar district.[2]
• A woman and a teenage boy were injured in a remote controlled bomb blast, which was aimed at a police patrol near the Bakra Mandi area of Dera Murad Jamali on Saturday, November 12. According to Dera Murad Jamali police sources, unknown persons fixed an explosive device in a motorbike in the Bakra Mandi area and detonated the device when the police vehicle passed by the motorbike. The blast also partially damaged the police vehicle.[3]
• The suspected terrorist who was killed while planting explosives near Hazara Town in Quetta on November 5, 2011 was identified as Pervez Ali, son of a local Shia leader Farhan Ali Haideri of the Jaffarabad District on Wednesday, November 9. In an attempt to conceal his identity, he had misquoted the name of his father on his identity card by replacing it with the name of his uncle, Noor Hassan.[4]
• Unknown militants blew up three power-supplying towers with explosive in Kohlu district on November 12. United Baloch Army (UBA) spokesman Mizar Baloch, claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, Levis Force recovered three abductees during an encounter with the armed captors in Mach area of the Bolan district on November 13. Earlier on, armed militants abducted them on gun point on November 12, 2011.[5]
• According to a statement by Asian Human Rights Commission, ‘the disappearances and extrajudicial killings continue [across Balochistan] and not a single day goes by without the abduction and murder of activists.’ The statement underlined: ‘Since July 2010 to date, there have been 215 extrajudicial killings of missing persons.’ The commission in its statement asked: ‘Pakistan must adhere to the pledges and promises it made to the Human Rights Council when it applied for membership. If the killings continue, and there is no sign that they will not, the responsibility will fall firmly on the shoulders of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.’[6]

b) Political Front

Public servants immersed in the verification driveof electoral lists in fourdistricts of Balochistan faced security issues from the very firstday, sources within the Election Commission told on November 12. ‘While preparing the lists, staff members, particularly those in Baloch-dominated areas, tend to feel insecure as a result of growing incidents of targeted killings, explosions and hand grenade attacks,’ an official said.[7]

The Balochistan government has requested the federal government to take charge of its projects till the next National Financial Commission (NFC) Award, because the province is unable to finance the projects of ministries that were devolved under the 18^th Amendment. The province is already facing a host of problems in running the administrative affairs of federal projects in the province because concerned departments don–t have capacity to run these projects smoothly. ‘There are a score of problems that need to be addressed which will help in the smooth devolution of ministries and transfer of powers,’ a senior official of the Balochistan government said on November 13.[8]

[1] One person killed in Balochistan–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F11%2F11&image2.x=2&image2.y=3#3

[2] Constable shot dead in Balochistan–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F11%2F12&image2.x=9&image2.y=6#1

[3] Blast injures two in Dera Murad Jamali–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/290788/blast-injures-three-in-dera-murad-jamali/

[4] Hazara Town attack suspect identified as a Shia Muslim–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F11%2F10&image2.x=5&image2.y=2#12

[5] Two persons injured in a remote controlled blast in Balochistan–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F11%2F13&image2.x=0&image2.y=0#4

[6] PAKISTAN: The bullet riddled bodies of nine more missing persons including one journalist were found, athttp://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-174-2011

[7] Insecurity in Balochistan: Voter verification held up in four districts–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/290629/insecurity-in-balochistan-voter-verification-held-up-in-four-districts/

[8] Resource crunch: Plea for federal supervision of projects–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/291081/resource-crunch-plea-for-federal-supervision-of-projects.