The Mastung massacre, widely regarded as the action of anti-Pakistan forces focused on sabotaging China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has brought rival Pashtoon and Baloch nationalists together to fight against the common enemy - militancy and insurgency.
Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik who himself represents the Baloch nationalist National Party invited the leadership of all political parties in the province with a view to giving a unanimous message of condemnation to the elements that want to create ethnic conflict and sabotage the multi-billion dollars CPEC project. The Chief Minister also announced that he would convene an all-party conference (APC) in a couple of days.
Talking to Business Recorder, Senator Dr Jehanzed Jamaldini of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) condemned the Mastung massacre, terming it a conspiracy to incite Pashtoon-Baloch conflict in the province given that the two had been living peacefully together since centuries. He said that given the timing of the attack it could have been aimed at sabotaging the mega projects in the province as it followed soon after all political parties of the countries reached a consensus on CPEC on Thursday.
"No doubt, this is a heinous crime which can not be tolerated at all. This is what you can call a deep conspiracy to incite Baloch-Pashtoon conflict in the province," he said that his party was already engaged directly or indirectly in foiling such conspiracies with the objective that no "third party" benefits from the situation.
The Senator also called upon the political parties representing Balochistan, ethnic and religious groups to understand the conspiracy being hatched by these elements so that they do not achieve their nefarious designs. "Such attempts were also made in the past to create such a situation in Balochistan but they failed...So, it's high time we must also foil the conspiracy of today," said the Baloch nationalist senator, adding his party under the leadership of Sardar Akhtar Mengal would make every democratic effort in this regard.
In his reaction to the attack, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman strongly criticised the Balochistan provincial government, saying the provincial government has failed to maintain the law and order in the province. According to JUI-F chief spokesperson Jan Achakzai, the Maulana said the strategy to maintain peace in the province seems to have failed, adding that the killings of innocent passengers have become a routine feature and the provincial government is unable to provide protection to the masses.
Achakzai said he does not believe that the Mustang attack was an outcome of "so-called" rivalry between Pashtoons and Baloch ethnic groups, adding that nationalists - both Pahstoons and Balochs - are in the government for the first time in three decades and the ethnic fault line has been bridged.
According to him, Baloch insurgents were not that strong as compared to the situation in 2009 when they were at their peak, adding that a few groups sponsored from outside were behind such attacks to weaken Pakistan. He said it was also an attempt by rival agencies to show Pakistan an unsafe country for having nuclear weapons and also to give a message to China following the multi-billion dollars economic corridor project. "These sponsored groups are not powerful but they are taking benefit of the flawed strategy and weak writ of the provincial government," he added.
Awami National Party (ANP) parliamentary leader in Balochistan Provincial Assembly Zamark Khan also condemned the incident, saying that the enemies of Pakistan wanted bloodshed in the province by creating such situation. He said that the incident was also an attempt to sabotage the political consensus on the CPEC project, adding such elements will not succeed in their nefarious designs.
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