TTP expands footprint in Balochistan as Quetta Safe City project remains in limbo

The last month’s counterterrorism action in Loralai in which several terrorists blew themselves up highlights the expanding footprint of the TTP in Balochistan. It also underlines some inconvenient realities ranging from lack of effective surveillance to nonexistence of police authority in the larger parts of Balochistan and the freezing of the approved Safe City projects in Quetta and other vulnerable areas of the province, exposing systemic weakness.

The TTP’s vicious attacks from January to March around Loralai came as a rude shock because the province that had borne the brunt of terrorism had begun to feel respite from terrorism since last year. But the spikes in terrorism are feared to continue till some more time, security sources told The News. While largely the capacity of terrorists to strike has degraded with the elimination and arrests of their active and sleeper cells, they are down but definitely not out, they said.

Further, since they are directed by hostile foreign agencies like the NDS and RAW, they continue to take actions. Fencing on the border with Afghanistan is continuing but the Balochistan section from Chaman onwards remains to be completed and continues the gateway of movement. The TTP has for long worked with drug traffickers, weapon and human smugglers to mutual benefit. The cross border movement from Afghanistan and provision of weapons to TTP is generally helped by these cartels operating with impunity across the region, police and other security agencies confirmed.

There is a resurgence of TTP in Zhob, Loralai, Chaman and Panjpai, Qilla Saifullah which are part of the Pashtun belt near the border with Afghanistan and has proximity with Waziristan of the KPK.

The ethnic similarity also helped the TTP cells led by Wahab to mix among the population and soon got down to work.

They virtually held the local population and police hostage through coercion and intimidation directed against their families. “Some officials were threatened about the schoolgoing children and other members of the family forcing them not to inform their departmental seniors about their presence.” Unlike Quetta Police, the Loralai police had almost no counterterrorism capabilities.

The district is rich in coal and chromite mines which enabled the TTP to generate funds by harassing the businessmen and local population to pay extortions. They carried out vicious attacks including the one on the FC training camp and DIG Police Complex in Loralai in January as well as an attack on Levies in Ziarat in March.

This particular group was brought down last month in an intelligence-led operation.

Security sources believe Zhob district is fast emerging as the new hub of TTP activity where they are establishing hideouts and safe havens.

“After Loralai now they are trying to establish themselves in Zhob to direct sabotage and subversion on the western route of the CPEC, soon to take off from the paper stage.” These cells work under Ainuzaman Akhunzada who supervises and directs their operations from Afghanistan.

Police and intelligence sources concur that TTP is setting its eyes at Quetta as their primary target. While their secondary targets remain Zhob, Chaman and Panjpai in Mastung. While ad hoc development, political and counter-terrorism policies continue to take on terrorism, but there is a need for sustained and systemic policing, more than ever before to put it to rest in a critical province like Balochistan.

The police in Quetta have certainly improved after years of enduring the brunt of massive terrorist strikes. The stakeholders are focused on the provincial capital’s security. The Eagle Force is trained by Pakistan Army in the special forces mode. The motorbike mounted crack counter-terrorist team operates as a self-contained unit in an ambush scenario. Elite Force is another well trained force. Due to the evolving sensitive situation in Zhob and Loralai, the two units have also been deployed there, police sources said.

However, the biggest obstacle in way of effective policing and systemic crime fighting are the And B zones of the province. The ‘A’ area comprises only 5pc of Balochistan and falls under police while the remaining 95pc ‘B’ area is handled by the Levies. Barring little time of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf 2002-2008 when he brought the whole province under police. But soon afterward in 2010 the governments restored the Levies in 23 districts that form the ‘B’ area. It is largely these 23 districts which are the havens of crimes be it terrorists, human or drug smugglers or other forms of organized crime. The Levies are mainly a watch and ward oriented force with little training to manage organised crimes what to expect counter terrorism or intelligence gathering.

With CPEC’s main facilities in the province as well as the eastern and western routes it is high time the province adopts Safe City Projects with predictive and analytic features for Quetta and other vulnerable areas of Balochistan. It is a pity that the Safe City Project was approved for Quetta back in 2012 but so far even the design and the software has not been approved. The influential contractor and the provincial government seems least motivated to execute the project.

In its absence, however, some CCTV camerasin Quetta, Chaman, Loralai and Mastung have been put to use for a limited effect. The counter-terrorism has been largely won by blood and tears and we should not waste any of them anymore.