Short Summary

The security situation in Balochistan continues to aggravate with the passage of time, despite the fact of the government efforts to curtail the downward spiral and win back the trust of the disenchanted Balochis. The present government announced NFC Award and Balochistan Rights– Package to upend the rising tide of militancy in the province, yet the situation on ground remains stubbornly volatile. In part, situation on ground also magnifies the apathetic attitude on the part of the central and provincial governments to address Balochistan issue. At a time, when the reports of disinterest among provincial lawmakers in discussing provincial issues in the assembly are widespread; the central government is also contributing towards existent indifference among lawmakers to take Balochistan issue seriously. As the parliamentary committee constituted as a result of a unanimous resolution by the Parliament in August 2011 to ascertain the causes behind deteriorating law and order situation in the province, has failed to visit the province, even once during last five months.

Against this backdrop of apathetic attitude on the part of the government and raging militancy in the province, relentless violence marked 2011. Moreover, while mapping the territory of violence, we found that unlike in the past, the present year witnessed overlapping of the forces behind violence in the province. According to our findings:

• Staggering violence left 621 people dead during the course of the year. Among these, 281 people were shot dead in different incidents of target killing and firing, 68 fell prey to two deadly suicide attacks, while bomb blasts and landmine explosions perished 120 others.
• The ongoing ¿kill and dump– operation, further contributing to the already dismal law and order situation in the ill fated province, swallowed 231 people, whose mutilated and bullet-ridden dead bodies— were mostly found lying by the roadsides in different parts of the province.
• Meanwhile, according to the Home Department of Balochistan government estimates 196 bodies of the missing persons were recovered mostly from Baloch dominated districts of the province, such as Quetta, Sibi, Kalat, Mekran, Nasirabad and Zhob.
• According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan about 6000 people are still missing in the province.
• Steep rise in sectarian violence was the hallmark of 2011. As Balochistan government estimates suggest that 117 people lost their lives in 20 incidents of sectarian violence. While 92 out them belonged to Shia sect of Hazara community, mostly inhabited in and around Quetta city.
• Also, there were 102 incidents of sabotage and subversion in the province, targeting railway tracks and gas pipelines. And the number is far higher than 2010, when only 24 such incidents were recorded across the province.
• During 2011, militants– relentless take on security forces resulted in the killing of 218 men belonging to FC, police, and Levies. The prime target was paramilitary force FC, and Baloch Republican Army and Balochistan Liberation Front claimed responsibility for most of the attacks against security forces.
• The year 2011 ended with the gruesome killing of Dr Baqir Shah (the police surgeon, who carried out autopsy on foreigners killed in Kharotabad incident). And the pace of violence set in past year continues to undermine the security landscape in the province during 2012. According to our findings almost 60 people have lost their lives in different episodes of violence in January 2012.

Furthermore, Balochis are being targeted in other provinces as well. As according to a news report, three people belonging to the family of provincial Baloch lawmaker (Sahabzada Bkhtiar Khan Domki, a relative of late Nawab Akbar Bugti) were gunned down in Karachi. The story elaborates the scale and outreach of violence involving the Balochis. In sum, a keen look into the incidents of violence and sabotage suggest that situation on the ground in Balochistan is taking turn for the worst. And looking at the apathy of the state and inflexibility of actors involved in violence in Balochistan, one can foresee an unparalleled violence in 2012.