Executive Summary:

The current week saw sharp spike in violence compared to the previous ones as a result of a spate of blasts and acts of subversion around Balochistan. The deadliest of all was orchestrated by the hitherto unknown Baloch Liberation Tiger, at a local hotel on the National Highway in Dera Allah Yar, some 400 kilometers southeast of Quetta, on Sunday, August 14, which killed at least 13 people and injured 23 others. In total as many as 41 people fell to the unabated terrorism and violence this week.

During raids on the residences of Jamil Akbar Bugti, the eldest son of Nawab Akbar Bugti, and former chief minister Humayun Marri in Bugti Boldak in Quetta suburbs on Saturday, police seized a large amount of arms and ammunition. Meanwhile, security forces arrested 150 suspects during a house to house search operation in connection with the killings of Station House Officer (SHO) Manzoor Tareen and two constables.

Armed men intercepted a passenger van heading to Chamman from Quetta near Gulistan on August 8, and abducted 15 persons of Suleman tribe. Also unidentified gunmen kidnapped Paramedical Association (PMA) finance secretary Khuda Bakhsh Lehri from Kalat (located in the center of province) on 13^th of August. Moreover, a bullet-riddled body of one of the earlier detained person, Amir Khan Marri, was found dumped in the industrial town of Hub (capital city of the Hub Tehsil, located in the Lasbela District) on Tuesday, August 9.

Balochistan High Court Bar Association urged the government and the superior judiciary on Wednesday, August 10 to play an effective role for the safe recovery of missing persons and to speed up the pace of investigation to resolve murder case of former Balochistan Chief MinisterNawab Akbar Bugti. Earlier on, the Supreme Court on Tuesday also asked the government to urgently appoint the head of the commission, probing missing persons– cases in Balochistan. The post of the chairman of the commission is lying vacant after its former head left to take up a new assignment with the Election Commission of Pakistan. Moreover, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) warned the federal government of quitting the ruling coalition in Balochistan in case the Centre failed in taking effective measures for restoring the law and order situation in the province.

Week in Review

a) Acts of Terrorism/Subversion

• ├ÿ In a joint operation paramilitary forces on Monday August 8, arrested around 150 suspects in a house to house search in connection with the target-killings of SHO Manzoor Tareen and two police constables on August 7. During search operations, locals also complained about the ill-treatment of women and elders by the security force.[1]
• A roadside bomb near Star Plus Market in Turbat injured three Frontier Corps personnel on Monday, August 8, according to the officials. No group claimed responsibility for the incident so far.[2]
• Separately, four people, including two Bugti tribesmen, were killed in a gun-battle between two groups in eastern bypass area of Quetta. The victims were identified as Haji Nehal Khan Bugti and his son Sadullah Bugti, Abdul Hameed Jatoi and Abid Khan Gajani.[3]
• A bullet-riddled body of one the earlier detained person was found dumped near the industrial town area of Hub on 9^th of August. Police shifted the dead body in a nearby hospital, where he was identified as Amir Khan Marri. Reports suggest that Amir Khan along with two other relatives was whisked away a month ago from Lasbela (coastal district of Balochistan).[4]
• Three Balochistan Constabulary personnel were killed when unidentified gunmen on a motorbike discharged their guns on them in Quetta on Wednesday, August 10. The deceased were later identified as Murad Ali, Sher Ali and Muhammad Nadeem.[5]
• Two laborers from the southern parts of Sindh were gunned down by unidentified gunmen in Turbat (Balochistan) on Wednesday, August 10, according to a senior police official. They were later on identified as Ghulam Yasin and Abdul Razziq, and were working at a construction site in Malikabad. They belonged to Kandhkot area of Sindh.
• Another two persons, including a school teacher, were killed and two others injured in separate incidents of violence in Quetta on August 10. The school teacher, identified as Abdul Karim, was gunned down in the Kechi Baig area on the Saryab road. And another man got killed while two others sustained injuries near the western bypass area in Quetta, over a land dispute.[6]
• An army soldier was killed and three others injured when five rockets fired from nearby mountains landed in Quetta Cantonment in the Nawan Killi area of Quetta, on August 12. Mirak Baloch, the spokesman for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attack.[7]
• In a joint raid police and FC seized a large cache of arms and ammunition from the residences of Jamil Akbar Bugti, the eldest son of Nawab Akbar Bugti, and former chief minister Humayun Marri in Bugti Boldak in Quetta suburbs on Saturday. According to security sources, 133 remote control devices, 4,000 rounds, 100 12-bore rifles, two light machineguns, three hand grenades and 3,000 rounds were seized during the search operation in Humayun Marri home.[8]
• ├ÿ Meanwhile, a journalist, Munir Shakir was killed when he was on his way to home from Khuzdar Press Club on August 14. Shakir was working for the Online News Network, and was the correspondent of Balochi TV, Sabzbagh. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has strongly condemned the killing of Shakir.[9]
• Two FC men got severely injured when unknown assailants hurled a hand- grenade on an FC check post in Quetta Saryab area on Sunday. No group claimed responsibility for the incident.[10]
• In an explosion at a local hotel on National Highway in Dera Allah Yar, some 400 kilometers southeast of Quetta, on Sunday, August 14 at least 13 people were killed and over 23 sustained injures. The newly emerged Baloch Liberation Tiger claimed responsibility for the blast.[11]

b) Abductions

The outgoing week witnessed the abductions of 15 people belonging to the Suleman tribe, when armed men intercepted a passenger van heading towards Chamman from Quetta, near Gulistan on August 8. The motive behind the kidnapping seemed to be the tribal animosity, according to the officials.[12] Meanwhile, unknown armed men kidnapped PMA finance secretary Khuda Bakhsh Lehri, from Kalat of Balochistan on August 13.[13]

c) Social/Health Cases

• Recent reports suggest that Balochistan has the highest number of polio cases in Pakistan with 22 confirmed polio cases (reported during the past six months) so far, and it has witnessed a three fold increase in polio cases during current year compared to 11 confirmed cases in 2010.[14]
• On its way to Shahdadkot from the shrine of Shah Noorani, a passenger bus fell into a ravine near the industrial town of Hub on August 14, leaving 14 people dead and 16 injured.[15]

d) Political Front

• Supreme Court of Pakistan expressed its utter displeasure over the non-appointment of the head of the commission investigating the missing persons on August 10, despite the court repeated calls. The post of the chairman is lying vacant after its former head Fazalur Rehman from Balochistan left the post to join the Election Commission of Pakistan. A three-member bench headed by Justice Shakirullah Jan resumed the case hearing and noted that the government is not showing its seriousness for the recovery of missing persons. The court observed that if intelligence agencies weren–t involved in disappearances of innocent persons then they should submit a written statement in the court.[16] Meanwhile, Balochistan High Court Bar Association urged the government and the superior judiciary to play their part for the safe recovery of missing persons. Senior vice president of the bar association Sajid Tareen said in a press conference that situation in Balochistan will take a turn for the worst if ‘kill and dump’ operation did not halt.[17]
• Moreover, Balochistan High Court expresseddissatisfactionover the pace of theinvestigationinto the killing of former chief ministerNawab Akbar Bugti during a hearing and demanded immediate action to extradite former president General Musharraf. Earlier, the Balochistan government pleaded for more time to contact the centre for the extradition of Musharraf and others accused in Bugti murder.[18]
• ├ÿ Balochistan National Party (BNP) staged a demonstration on August 11 against the ongoing search operation in Baloch-dominated areas of Quetta. BNP president of Quetta chapter Mir Ghulam Rasul Mengal said the government must halt the operation immediately and release all the detained persons.[19] And JUI (F) warned the federal government on August 12 that it will quit the ruling coalition in Balochistan if the former failed to take urgent and palpable steps to address the law and order situation in the province.[20]
• Lawmakers belonging to different political parties in Balochistan, voiced their concerns to the idea of creating new provinces in Pakistan, and they termed it as a threat to national security. They said the issue of creation of new provinces will not remain limited to Punjab only, but it will also disturb Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where people will start demanding new provinces.[21]

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[1]House-to-house search in Quetta: 150 held after policemen killings –, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/227182/house-to-house-search-in-quetta-150-held-after-policemens-killings/

[2] Three FC personnel injured in Turbat blast–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/227500/three-fc-personnel-injured-in-turbat-blast/

[3] Four people killed in Quetta–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F8%2F9&image2.x=7&image2.y=8#3

[4] Missing persons case: SC gives final warning over commission appointment at http://tribune.com.pk/story/228147/missing-persons-case-sc-gives-final-warning-over-commission-appointment/

[5] Balochistan violence claims lives of 3 more policemen–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/229043/balochistan-violence-claims-lives-of-3-more-policemen/

[6] Target killings: Four people gunned down in Balochistan–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/228886/target-killings-four-people-gunned-down-in-balochistan/

[7] One soldier killed in rocket attack in Quetta–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F8%2F13&image2.x=0&image2.y=0#4

[8] ¿Arms cache seized from Jamil Bugti, Humayun Marri–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/231035/arms-cache-seized-from-jamil-bugti-humayun-marri/

[9] PFUJ condemn killing of journalist in Balochistan–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/231422/pfuj-condemn-killing-of-journalist-in-balochistan/

[10] Grenade attack on Quetta checkpost injures two FC personnel–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/231490/grenade-attack-on-quetta-checkpost-injures-two-fc-personnel-2/

[11] Bomb blast at hotel in Dera Allah Yar kills 13–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/231217/blast-in-hotel-leaves-3-dead-several-injured/

[12] Armed men kidnap 15 members of Suleman tribe near Chaman–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/227017/armed-men-kidnap-15-members-of-suleman-tribe-near-chaman/

[13] PMA Finance Secretary Khuda Bakhsh Lehri abducted in Balochistan–, at http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2011%2F8%2F14&image2.x=4&image2.y=4#6

[14] 22 cases of polio emerge in Balochistan–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/226770/22-cases-of-polio-emerge-in-balochistan/

[15] Reckless driving: 14 dead in Hub bus accident–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/231206/20-dead-in-balochistan-bus-accident/

[16] ibid

[17] Balochistan unrest: Stop ¿kill and dump– operations–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/227921/balochistan-unrest-stop-kill-and-dump-operations/

[18] Akbar Bugti murder case: Centre seeks more time to extradite Musharraf–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/228404/bugti-murder-case-bhc-adjourns-hearing-till-august-17/

[19] Quetta Localities: Protest against ¿biased– search operation–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/229715/quetta-localities-protest-against-biased-search-operation/

[20] Peace, security: JUI-F warns it will quit Balochistan ruling alliance–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/229712/peace-security-jui-f-warns-it-will-quit-balochistan-ruling-alliance/

[21] New federating units: Balochistan MPAs oppose carve-up plans–, at http://tribune.com.pk/story/229613/new-federating-units-balochistan-mpas-oppose-carve-up-plans/