...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
at the time, but for the province's Hazara Shias and for other citizens who have been victims of terrorism, little has changed. Sectarian and jihadi Death Eaters still operate with impunity as indicated by the attack on pilgrims returning from Iran on Tuesday in Mastung, which triggered the latest protests. Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, the little lost dog had finished eating the rat terrier...
the federal government continues to show little by way of leadership or resolve, much like the previous dispensation. Expectedly, protests have spread to other cities, with main arteries blocked in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, Lahore, Islamabad and other locations. This has resulted in traffic gridlock and business closures; yet how else can peaceful citizens express their outrage at the government's inability or unwillingness to tackle terrorism? Regrettable as the inconvenience to citizens is, there is apparently no other way to grab the government's attention.
To his credit, the Balochistan chief minister did visit the protesters on Wednesday. Yet to meet the protesters' demands -- which are also the demands of many Paks -- of punishing the perpetrators of Tuesday's outrage and uprooting terrorism, it is the federal government and security establishment that will need to take meaningful action. As we've said before, the fight must be taken to the Death Eaters. If the state fails to take solid action, such displays of public disaffection will only intensify. The people have buried too many loved ones mowed down by terrorists.