Christians oppose military operation in Pakistan's Balochistan

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved the 'comprehensive military operation' in the restive province on Nov. 19

Nov 21, 2024

By Kamran Chaudhry
Christians in Pakistan’s conflict-scarred Balochistan province have opposed a planned military operation against separatist groups and called for dialogue to end ongoing violence.

The reaction came after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Nov. 19 approved a “comprehensive military operation.”

A statement from his office said the approval came following a meeting with top military and political authorities, according to a statement from his office.

The offensive is aimed at terrorist organizations operating in Balochistan "who are targeting innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan’s economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers,” the statement said.

Father Bernard Emmanuel, the national director of the Pakistani Catholic bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace, opposed the planned operation.

“Sadly, the state refuses to learn from past experiences and is bent on continued gross violation of human rights. Reconciliation, political dialogue and respect for life is the only way forward, it is the will of God,” the priest told UCA News.

The Pakistani military has been fighting various separatist outfits, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Liberation Force (BLF), and Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), a coalition of three separatist Baloch groups for decades.

The groups seek higher autonomy and a better share of resources in the mineral-rich but largely impoverished region bordering Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

The military operation plan comes after a series of coordinated attacks by armed groups in the region, home to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, in recent weeks.

Last month, two Chinese nationals were killed, and one was injured in a suicide bombing near the international airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s port city and largest metropolis.

On Nov. 9, at least 26 people were killed and 62 were injured in a suicide attack in Balochistan.

On Nov. 19, at least 20 people, including 18 military soldiers, were killed in a suicide bombing in northwestern Khaybar Pakhtunkhwa province.

On Nov. 20, the Pakistan Army and Peoples' Liberation Army of China began their three-week-long Pak-China Joint Exercise, Warrior-VIII, at the National Counter Terrorism Center in Pabbi, a town in mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Sharafat Sharif, executive secretary of Catholic charity Caritas in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, said the state must find a permanent solution to the conflict.

“The role of Tamil Tigers in Sri Lankan politics and Nepal’s Maoists are prime examples where rebel groups successfully transitioned into a legitimate political entity,” Sharif told UCA News.

He lamented that the violence in the province has an adverse impact on the charity’s activities.

He pointed out that Caritas in Quetta stopped hosting foreign visitors in 2019 due to the conflict.

“Taking a no objection certificate is a big challenge. We could not initiate bilateral projects and solely depend on Caritas Pakistan National Secretariat in Lahore [capital of Punjab province] despite the province affected by both natural and man-made disasters,” he said.

Sharif lost his 28-year-old cousin in a suicide blast that ripped through Quetta Railway Station on Nov. 9.

Ayaz Ponu, father of two, was among three Christians, including a woman, killed in the bombing on Nov. 9.

The Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in Quetta was attacked by militants in 2017.

The church’s Pastor, Simon Bashir, who lives opposite the busy railway station, has rejected the military operation.

“The local sentiment from both secular and religious circles is against it,” Bashir told UCA News.

Last week, the pastor installed CCTV cameras on the church's walkthrough gates and provided additional security for Advent season.

According to church sources, Quetta apostolic vicariate has some 60,000 Christians and 100 denominations.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan urged the state to protect Balochistan's citizens' constitutional and legitimate rights.

“The ongoing insurgency and violence in Balochistan must be settled through an urgent, high-powered and decisive political dialogue involving all stakeholders. We note with deep concern that the government is considering the use of stronger kinetic means to resolve the problem,” the commission said in a statement on Nov. 19.

“Such actions have been taken multiple times in the past and only resulted in increasing anger and mistrust among the local population—particularly given the lack of transparency and civilian oversight of such measures and their potential for egregious rights violations,” it added.--ucanews.com