A bomb blast in Lahore’s busiest place, Anarkali, on January 21 is and must be a matter of grave concern for the locals and authorities because the provincial metropolis that has been a prime target of Tehreek-i- Taliban Pakistan and the ISIS in the past is now on the hit list of Baloch militant groups, too.

The powerful blast that ripped through the crowded Anarkali market, killed three people including a nine-year-old boy from Karachi and injured 33 others. A Baloch militant group, the Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA) claimed the responsibility for the bombing. The Lahore bombing took place two days after a deadly gun attack on policemen in Islamabad that killed a cop and left two suspected terrorists dead was claimed by the TTP. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told media that the government had received alerts about terrorism in Islamabad. He warned that people and law enforcement agencies should stay vigilant because big cities are on the TTP’s target. In the Punjab, intelligence agencies and the Home Department issue security alerts almost every week. In every such alert issued, they express fears of attacks by the TTP. The BNA’s claim appears to have come as a surprise for the law enforcement agencies.

A spokesperson for the BNA, in a press note issued to media, said, “Baloch Nationalist Army claims responsibility for the remote-controlled bomb attack in Lahore. The main targets of the blast were the police personnel and the bank workers who were either killed or injured in the blast.”

He said, “We will carry out more attacks and will extend the campaign to all commercial cities of Pakistan, targetting its economic and military interests unless the regime holds meaningful talks with the national leaders.”

Baloch separatist groups have been involved in attacks on security forces and people in Balochistan mainly. Their last big attack outside Balochistan was in Karachi Stock Exchange. For that the responsibility was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). However, the BLA, or any other Baloch group, had not carried out a terrorist activity in Lahore for the last one-and-a-half decade. In 2006-7, a bombing in Ichra, in which the bomb was planted on a bicycle, was claimed by the BLA. The BLA’s footprint has almost vanished from Lahore. Now the BNA has shown its presence in Lahore. The BNA emerged after the merger of the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and the Baloch Republican Army (BRA).

Pakistan had seen a relatively peaceful month in November 2021 after it started peace talks with the TTP with Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan acting as a mediator. The two sides initially reached an agreement under which five-member committees from both sides were set up to discuss the future course of action and demands from both sides under the supervision of the mediator.

The government’s gesture of going to the negotiation table with the TTP that claimed hundreds of attacks on security forces and people of Pakistan was perceived as a wrong decision. It bore no fruit and appears to have encouraged other militant groups.

However, the TTP issued a statement on December 9 saying that: “Pakistan government failed to implement the agreement reached between the two sides.” It says the security forces conducted raids in Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, Swat, Bajaur, Swabi and North Waziristan, killing and detaining several TTP operatives in breach of the agreement.

Earlier, in an audio message released on the same day, the TTP chief, Mufti Noor Wali Mahsud, had announced an end to the ceasefire and allowed his fighters to resume attacks past midnight. The ceasefire had come into effect on November 9. After the end of ceasefire, there has been an attack almost every day by the TTP.

Now apparently there are more challenges to come as the Baloch terror networks appear to have made inroads in the Punjab and Sindh. In Balochistan, according to various reliable intelligence sources, the TTP and Baloch militants had reached a deal in 2018 for cooperation for attacks on security forces.

The government’s gesture of going to the negotiation table with the TTP that claimed hundreds of attacks on security forces and people of Pakistan was perceived as a wrong decision. It bore no fruit and appears to have encouraged other militant groups.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a recent speech that he is ready to hold negotiations with all groups, including Baloch groups.

According to a report by Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), Pakistan suffered 207 terror attacks during 2021 that claimed 335 lives. Out of these, 107 attacks were masterminded and carried out by the TTP and its affiliated networks. These killed 236 people. Baloch and Sindhi groups carried out 77 attacks, killing 97 people.

Out of the 335 martyrs, 177 belonged to Pakistan Army, Police, Frontier Corps and Frontier Constabulary, Rangers and some intelligence agencies.

If the TTP or other religious militant groups go for further cooperation with Baloch insurgents in the Punjab, there could be havoc as the TTP has a huge presence in the Punjab.

Terrorism remains one of the biggest challenge for the government especially after it unveiled its National Security Policy.

The writer is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and analyst. He tweets at @BukhariMubasher