Islamist extremists plunging Pakistan into a civil war.

Mastung Incident

Today’s tragic incident in Mastung area, on the buses of Pakistani pilgrims, disproves the claims of the Balochistan’s provincial government for improving the law and order situation in the province. The Islamist extremists have holed up in southern part of Quatta city, including Sariab Road, Akhtarabad and Mastung etc, who use these areas as a conduit to perpetuate their heinous attacks on innocent civilians. The Balochistan government’s lack of will to initiate operation cleanup against the terrorists substantiates that the government itself is protecting a handful of Islamist extremists who have flexed their muscles to take people for granted with impunity.

The incumbent Balochistan Chief Minister’s repeated appeals from terrorists to avoid killing innocent people, testifies his inability and incompetence to hold the reign of the government. He has drifted away from the constitutional obligations and betrayed public mandate entrusted to protect the lives of the people. The government’s complicity has helped these Islamist terrorists to challenge the writ and flout the rule of the law. Government’s lax attitude and inaction against the Islamist terrorists has jeopardized its sovereignty and the supremacy of the parliament. These attacks plunge Pakistan into a civil war which can only be avoidable by timely and Swat-type military operation against them.

The government cannot solace people with rote condemnations instead a tangible resolve to crush religious extremism from the country should be chalked out at the earliest. In the meanwhile, the supporters and sympathizers of the religious extremists and terrorists in and out of the parliament should be singled out in all decisions as they have endangered the otherwise plural and tolerant Pakistani society.