Executive Summary:
The current week witnessed a lower frequency of violence and militant activities compared to the previous ones, but an event of deadly sectarian violence revisited left a huge mark on security situation of the province. On 28th of August, armed men opened fire and launched rockets on a Peshawar bound Quetta Express near the town of Mach, some 60 kilometers southeast of Quetta, killing at least three people. Moreover, 12 people were killed when a suicide bomber of banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) attacked members of Shia community returning home from Eid prayers on Wednesday, August 31. Furthermore, ten cars and two houses were badly damaged as a result of the blast. In sum, 15 people lost their lives due to the ongoing spate of violence in the province.
Speaker National Assembly, Mrs. Fehmida Mirza, constituted a 17 member parliamentary committee, on August 28, to spearhead political efforts to restore peace in Karachi and Quetta. Lawmakers of seven mainstream political parties of Pakistan constitute the committee. Meanwhile, Amnesty International (AI), on August 30, appealed for an immediate end to the widespread practice of enforced disappearances in the country, especially Balochistan. The AI further reiterated to higher authorities that the detainees must be granted full access to their legal privileges.
Week in Review
a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion
- At least three people were killed and 19 others injured when armed men opened fire and launched rockets on a Peshawar bound passenger train, the Quetta Express(commonly known as Bolan), near the town of Mach, some 60 kilometers southeast of Quetta on 28th of August. The militants managed to escape, later on. Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack. The train stayed at Mach station for three hours after the incident before resuming its journey to Peshawar, according to security officials.[1]
- According to a report of Daily Times, Balochistan Levies Force, on 29th of August, recovered a bullet-riddled body from the Zehri area of Khuzdar district.[2]
- A powerful suicide car bomb blast killed at least 12 people, including two women and two children, and wounded 32 others on Wednesday, August 31. According to reports, a militant belonging to banned LeJ, who was heading to hit the Shia community EID prayer gathering at the Eidgah in Marriabad, detonated his explosive laden car on Gulistan Road in the Murriabad area of Quetta, failing to reach the intended target.[3]
- Two people, including a woman, were shot dead in two separate incidents of violence in Shah Nurani area of Khuzdar district on 3rd of September. The victims were said to be belonging to interior Sindh. Meanwhile, indiscriminate firing by unknown gunmen resulted in the killing of a person, later on identified as Maula Bakhsh on Saryab Road in Quetta.[4]
More than two weeks after the approval of a motion in the National Assembly, the Speaker, Mrs. Fehmida Mirza on August 28 constituted a 17 member committee to spearhead political efforts to restore peace in Karachi and Quetta. The committee has been mandated to look into the law and order situation in Quetta (Balochistan) and report back to the house within two months, said a statement issued by the national assembly secretariat. The special committee consists of members from seven mainstream political parties. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) having five members; the largest opposition party PML-N having four, PML-Q having three, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) having two, while Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F), and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) having one member each in the special committee.[5]
Amnesty International assailed Pakistan government for its failure to resolve hundreds of cases of alleged disappearance in the country. ‘The government has so far made little progress in resolving hundreds of cases of alleged disappearance, while new incidents are being reported around the country,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director. He demanded an immediate end to the widespread and suspicious cases of disappearances in Pakistan and appealed to authorities in Islamabad to ensure, those detained have full access to lawyers and the courts.[6]
c) Economic Front
Heavy downpours and flash floods wreaked havoc in different parts of Balochistan on September 3, sweeping away household items and damaging crops and infrastructure in parts of the province. The overfilled drains breached their banks in Choki Jamali and Sohbatpur in Jaffarabad after being hit by hill torrents from different directions, inundating the fields, crops and fertile lands. Local residents, political leaders and members of the parliament complained that the government has failed to repair the broken banks of the drains, despite a yearlong lapse.
The provincial government has set up emergency control rooms in Loralai, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Jaffarabad and other areas to cope with the situation that arose after heavy rains turned into flash floods. Two children were killed and three others injured as the roof of a mud house collapsed in the Nasirabad area of Loralai, while two children were also killed in Duki due to a mud house collapsing on Thursday, August 30. The low lying areas of Loralai were also submerged and power supply of many townships remained disrupted. Four houses and a seminary collapsed, while the walls of around 12 mud houses fell as a result of the heavy rains in Mullahkhail area of Kalat. People evacuated the Mullahkhail area and other small human settlements and moved towards higher ground to shield themselves against flash floods. The rainwater also entered into schools, government offices and hospitals, while the flash flood washed away roads, disrupting the road link between several townships, impinging on rescue efforts.[7]
[1] Deadly ambush: Attack on Quetta Express leaves 3 dead, 19 injured–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/241110/five-killed-in-attack-on-quetta-express-in-bolan-area/
[2] Bullet-riddled body found in Balochistan–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F8%2F30&image2.x=6&image2.y=6#2
[3] 11 killed in powerful blast outside Quetta mosque–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/243191/flames-go-up-as-explosion-took-place-in-quetta/
[4] Two civilians shot dead in Balochistan–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F9%2F4&image2.x=0&image2.y=0#1
[5] Karachi, Quetta situation: Multiparty committee to spearhead peace efforts–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/241501/karachi-quetta-situation-multiparty-committee-to-spearhead-peace-efforts/
[6] Government must end enforced disappearances, says Amnesty International–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F8%2F31&image2.x=0&image2.y=0#19
[7] Flash floods: Rains wreak havoc in Balochistan–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/243970/flash-floods-rains-wreak-havoc-in-balochistan/