QUETTA: The Balochistan government on Tuesday rejected comparisons with the former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, saying that unlike the latter, it was cooperating with the federal government in the fight against terrorism.
Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau told a press conference in Quetta that the Balochistan K-P terrorism comparison was misleading, and that such statements were unhelpful at a time when national unity was needed against terrorism.
Balochistan K-P terrorism comparison rejected
Langau said greater cooperation by the K-P government with federal authorities and security forces in implementing the National Action Plan could have helped avoid the need for emergency measures in that province. He called on political leaders to support state institutions and work together on the country’s security challenges.
The minister also criticised Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman over his remarks about Balochistan and the security forces, noting that Rehman and his party had themselves suffered from terrorism.
The remarks land in a charged week. The Senate has heard calls for a cross-party consensus on counterterrorism, while the Peshawar High Court has sought replies from the K-P government and police chief over the detention of PTI leaders.
60,000 operations in two years
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat, who flanked the minister at the press conference, laid out the province’s counterterrorism record. Security forces had carried out more than 60,000 intelligence-based operations and raids over the past two years, he said. Those operations killed 1,100 suspected terrorists and led to 450 arrests.
The cost has been heavy. More than 300 police officers and other security personnel lost their lives, while 551 civilians were killed in terrorist attacks during the same period.
Shafqaat said the provincial government had passed 18 laws and set up 17 departments to strengthen counterterrorism work. A faceless court had been established, with cases against 90 individuals registered. Around 1.1 million Afghan nationals had returned to Afghanistan, he added.
The government was also working to improve security on national highways and had digitised the Home Department and the arms licensing system, he said.
Mining law and the K-P question
Adviser to the chief minister for Information and Political Affairs Shahid Rind rejected claims that the K-P government had been removed because it failed to approve the Mines and Minerals Act.
He said Balochistan was reviewing its own mining legislation and consulting opposition parties to address their concerns and build consensus. Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti had taken the opposition into confidence during the legislative process, he said, adding that the provincial cabinet and assembly had approved laws aimed at combating terrorism.
Referring to political developments in K-P, Rind said the provincial chief minister’s reported attempts to march towards Islamabad were among the factors surrounding the imposition of emergency measures there. Balochistan’s chief minister had announced no similar march, he added.
Why it matters
Balochistan has borne the brunt of the recent wave of militancy, from the Kachhi operation in which six militants were killed to the Pasni blast that martyred an army major.
The provincial government’s message is twofold: it wants credit for cooperation with the Centre, and it wants the K-P comparison dropped. With emergency rule in K-P still fresh and courts seized of detention cases, the contrast is a deliberate political argument, not just a security briefing.
Whether the numbers persuade critics is another matter. But 60,000 operations, 1,100 militants killed and 18 new laws give Quetta a record to point to, and it clearly intends to use it.
What did the Balochistan government say?
It rejected comparisons with the former K-P government, saying it was cooperating with the federal government on counterterrorism and that misleading claims about the province’s security hurt national unity.
What are the province’s counterterrorism figures?
Over two years: 60,000-plus intelligence-based operations and raids, 1,100 suspected terrorists killed, 450 arrested, 300-plus security personnel and 551 civilians killed.
What did it say about the Mines and Minerals Act?
Adviser Shahid Rind denied the K-P government was removed over the Act, saying Balochistan was reviewing its own mining law in consultation with the opposition.
