The Corps Commanders’ Conference, chaired by Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir at GHQ Rawalpindi, discussed the country’s difficulties and security status, as well as various other national issues, were looked into. According to the ISPR statement issued at the meeting, prayers were offered in honor of the martyrs of the war against terrorism, as well as the martyrs of September, while Israel and India’s atrocities against the people of Kashmir and Palestine were vehemently condemned. While acknowledging the importance of institutional accountability, conference participants made it clear that no one would be excluded or offered any concessions in this regard. Terming it imperative to protect national cyber security, the conference discussed in detail the terrorist acts and counter-terrorism measures in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and vowed that all necessary measures would be taken for the security of the country as well as the people and the operations would continue until the end of terrorism and mischief.
Undoubtedly even before Pakistan’s top military leadership took a clear stance on the concerns and issues raised during the last Corps Commander Conference, the same narrative continued to emerge, and numerous acts and decisions were taken in this regard. This demonstrates that Pakistan’s military forces are aware of the issues and are taking appropriate measures to address them.
In addition to terrorism and mischief, the Pakistan Army appears unwilling to budge on matters like cyber security or digital terrorism, and a zero-tolerance policy has been implemented in these areas.
Nationwide responses to the events on August 25 and 26, 2024 in Balochistan have been intense. There are two schools of thought on the attempts to characterize the war as a battle and transform the open acts of terrorism into a story about the fight for rights. Furthermore, numerous foreign powers are actively seeking to undermine Pakistan through the use of proxies in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and certain nations appear to be publicly claiming “credit” for this state of affairs.
Without question, Balochistan should be granted legitimate rights, and it should be acknowledged that Balochistan, like the former FATA, has been subjected to discrimination in the past; however, this does not imply that the foundations of the state should be targeted to solve problems, and ordinary civilians should be massacred as a proxy in addition to instilling hatred in the name of securing rights or fighting.
Amongst all this, the US has stated that it is working with Pakistan to put an end to the current terrorism and has publicly denounced the events that occurred in Balochistan as acts of open terrorism.
At a press briefing, US spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the US is not only concerned but also that a significant number of civilians in addition to military personnel were targeted in Balochistan. Additionally, it reaffirmed its unwavering support for Pakistan in all manners.
Nonetheless, in their two distinct remarks on Tuesday, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi made it apparent about the constituencies who support political dialogue. The administration is always willing to have serious discussions with them, and negotiations will be held with them, but the terrorists will be decisively defeated. The Interior Minister emphasized once more that while targeted actions will be conducted, no significant operations are being carried out in Balochistan.
In light of all of this, the government must take the initiative and begin to thwart the intentions of violent elements by uniting all those political and public circles who want to solve Balochistan’s problems and deprivations in a peaceful political and democratic manner. Because if the state’s issues worsen, there will be an opportunity for the opposition and terrorist groups to gain strength and deepen their roots.