Pakistan is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in insurgent activities, with the hijacking of the train Jaffer Express carrying 400 passengers—many of them security personnel—on Tuesday, around 160 kilometers from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. At the time of writing, around 155 hostages have been rescued and 27 Baloch insurgents killed, according to the Pakistani security forces. Apparently, the Baloch militants have killed 10 people until now. The Pakistanis are claiming that the Baloch hijackers are using hostages—most of whom are believed to be security personnel—as human shields. But the problem is, whatever information is coming is a Pakistani version of events, and their military establishment is among the biggest disseminators of fake information, so a cloud of disinformation hangs over the incident. But what is certain is that the Pakistan military has been caught napping and the hijacking is one of the biggest embarrassments for them, for it signifies a massive security breach and will have a negative impact on morale. But then they brought it upon themselves. The hijacking incident is a consequence of the sins committed by Pakistan’s military for decades. It is an outcry against the marginalisation of the Baloch people by Pakistan’s rulers. It is a protest against oppression, torture, including the mass murder of the defenceless people of Balochistan by the Pakistan military. Balochistan was not a part of Pakistan, but was merged with Pakistan in 1948. The first flames of insurgency were lit soon after, and have continued to burn ever since, in spite of Pakistan blasting to death a Baloch giant like Akbar Bugti. Balochistan wants independence and its thirst for freedom has only intensified over the years, but it has also led to the proportionate escalation of Pakistani military oppression. One of the main issues fuelling Baloch nationalism is the lack of control over their own resources. Balochistan is a minerals rich region, but it is the Pakistani military that has always controlled the region’s natural resources. Along with that Pakistan has tried to impose Punjabi culture on the indigenous Baloch culture, as well as keeping the reins of power in the hands of the Punjabis.
The situation has got aggravated with the advent of the Chinese and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In trying to secure the CPEC and Gwadar port, China has been cutting off access to the Baloch to their own land. No wonder the situation has been deteriorating, with the Chinese now at the crosshairs of the Baloch insurgents. It is in this context that the latest hijacking has to be seen, for it puts a huge a question mark on the viability, in fact survival of the CPEC. Chinese nationals have already been facing Baloch militant attacks in this region, and with this escalation it remains to be seen how the Chinese—who have already poured in $65 billion into this project—will be able to recover their investment. But then China’s biggest mistake was banking on Pakistan, and now it will pay a heavy price for it.
As for Pakistan, it is a terror state. Terrorism is Pakistan’s policy, which had to backfire sooner or later, and that’s what’s happening. Even then Pakistan seems not to have learnt its lesson. Elbowed out of Afghanistan by the Taliban, which is now Rawalpindi GHQ’s sworn enemy, the latter is trying to paint Afghanistan as the hot bed of terror to sway international opinion against the Taliban. So it should not come as a surprise that the official Pakistani version to explain this hijacking is that it has been facilitated by Afghanistan—in other words, by the Taliban rulers there, with whom Pakistan’s relations have hit the nadir, and have resulted in even armed confrontation. Importantly, as the Taliban build bridges with India, Pakistan is trying hard to throw a spanner in the works. All this would not have happened if Pakistan had tried to be a normal country, without oppressing its ethnic minorities or becoming a terror state itself. The Baloch, the Sindhis, the Pashtuns are all up in arms against Rawalpindi GHQ, thus leaving Pakistan teetering at the brink. At this rate, it’s the survival of Pakistan that will be at stake.