Daily Times

The messages were
differently shocking. We read of blasts and terror attacks on a daily basis. The morbid routine has created a sort of numbness and insensitivity to the senseless killings every day. But the two incidents in one day in Balochistan, earlier this week, cannot be ignored and they call for action.

Most shocking to me in concept was the destruction of Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s last abode in Ziarat. Why destroy a revered part of historical significance? Does the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) believe that by doing so they have ‘liberated’ Balochistan? By burning a graceful, classical building and priceless artifacts and memorabilia, have the separatists earned any respect? The answer to both these questions is a clear no. Then what was the purpose of this abominable act? Obviously, the message is to make a statement that they the BLA cannot tolerate a symbol of Pakistan on the soil of the province they have set out to ‘liberate’. What is Hairbayar Marri setting himself to achieve? The BLA has by this act only earned the hate of millions. They have damaged their own cause. The BLA is said to have a total of 500 recruits. If they want to wage a war against Pakistan the result is written on the wall.

If Mr Nisar Ali Khan, the new Minister of Interior, wants to do more than a display of histrionics then he must confront the challenge courageously. I hope he has ideas but let me share a few suggestions.

The Interior Minister must take in hand the restoration of the Ziarat monument immediately. I want to clarify that I am asking for ‘restoration’ not renovation. Restoration requires special expertise, research, and full financial support of government as well as its archeology department. Restoration to the original condition has been done in other places. Particularly in the UK, monuments destroyed by accident or malicious intent have been restored to the original with success. It can be done here also if there is a ‘will’. I would like to hope that a ‘Muslim League’, of whatever faction, owes it to the Quaid-e-Azam. This is the action necessary for the physical renaissance of the monument. But there should be a moral statement as well. The Interior Minister and the Pakistan government should provide iron-clad security to the monument as well as the people living in the city of Ziarat. It is also Jinnah’s city. It should be made a model of good living and lawfulness. The city should require all residents to hoist the Pakistan flag prominently at their houses. All public places should fly the Pakistan flag and display Quaid’s portraits. There should be absolute security provisions and special tourism arrangements. It is a holiday resort and should become Pakistan’s most popular and safe resort. Its development should be symbolic. The BLA burnt one flag, there should be thousands of flags all over Ziarat. The BLA burnt the physical residency; let us develop the city Ziarat in a way that the Quaid may reside in every heart.

The other painful message was physical brutality. It came from the killings of girl students in Quetta in a bus, and the killing of several others in the hospital, including government officials. This time the suicide bomber in the bus was a female. The terrorists had prepared fully and taken positions in the hospital to complete their criminal assignment. The responsibility for this mass murder was taken by the notorious Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), to its eternal shame. LeJ is a banned organisation that specialises in targeting the Shia Muslims. I often wonder what government means by ‘ban’. Is it just file work that they complete? Is something to be done to eliminate the banned elements? When groups pick up arms, kill human beings, challenge the writ of the nation and its government, then all security agencies, including the armed forces and paramilitary set-ups are to be supported for a war for the elimination of such elements. No compromise. Sri Lanka has done it, Britain has done it, Russia has done it. There has to be no tolerance, repeat, no tolerance of such elements. In any case, government and its representative interior ministry will act as the most timid creatures if they fail in their responsibility to protect the people and fall shy of giving hundred percent support to the law-enforcing arms of government. The interior minister promptly responded by visiting Quetta and fixing the responsibility on the law-enforcing agencies but the situation needs more than rhetoric. Politicians’ idea of ‘negotiations’ in this case has little value.

The bullets can only be negotiated with bullets Mr Prime Minister. So stand up and do what is needed at the moment.

The writer is the former CEO Pakistan National Council of the Arts; Chairman Fruit processing Industries; Chairman UNESCO Theatre Institute Pakistan; COO ‘ICTV’ USA, and currently, Senior Vice President APML (Central). He can be reached at naeemtahir37@gmail.com