Pakistan: Terrorists Blowing
Up Gas Pipelines
In the early
hours on Wednesday, 10th April, 2013 perpetrators blew up 16 inch diameter high
pressure gas transmission pipeline in Jafarabad District of Baluchistan This
was the sixth sabotage activity which took place since 16th March this year.
This
transmission line owned by of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is commonly known
as Indus Left Bank Pipeline (ILBP) that supplies gas to Sui Northern Gas
Pipelines (SNGPL), responsible for the distributing gas to Punjab and Khyber
Pakhtunistan provinces.
It is
necessary to point out that perpetrators have once again become active in Baluchistan and are especially targeting electricity and gas transmission
networks. These people not only wish to terrorize people of Baluchistan to keep
them away from election process but also want to bring economic activities in
the country to grinding halt.
The
objective is to create conditions whereby election could not be held in the
province. The sabotage activities are also aimed at suspending work on Iran-Pakistan
gas pipeline project, which has just started in Pakistan. The United States has
repeatedly warned Pakistan not to go ahead with the project; else economic
sanctions can also be imposed.
It has been
often apprehended that the perpetrators operating in Baluchistan are supplied
funds and arms by some external elements and fingers are often raised at United
States, India and even Israel. Though, none of these countries will ever accept
that they have been godfathering the perpetrators, there are enough reasons to
believe the allegations.
First and
the top most important, the stories of sabotage, unrest and weakening
government writ are spread to keep oil and gas exploration companies away from
the province. India has bidden farewell to Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline
on the security reasons.
This factor also
mars prospects of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline
becoming a reality. India is deadly against these two pipeline projects on the
grounds that it will have to pay Pakistan millions of dollars transit fee and also
that it (Pakistan) will get control over gas being supplies to India.
A question
arises, why the external powers want to construct their hideouts and operate
from Baluchistan province of Pakistan? The reply is simple, not to give a
chance to Pakistan to become a corridor for trade and energy supplies.
These powers
also want to undermine importance of Gwadar port located in Baluchistan If
peace is restored in the province and transit goods (including energy products)
start moving through Gwadar port, it will be a setback for Chabahar port
constructed by India in Iran.
Terrorist
chose Baluchistan mainly because it has a coastal front of about 1,250
kilometers, which is mostly uninhibited. Baluchistan is the largest province of
Pakistan in terms of area but has the lowest population, mainly concentrated in
few areas. This makes the province an ideal place for constructing hideouts and
training facilities for the terrorists. One could still recall name of a banned
outfit, Jundullah based in Baluchistan.
Jundullah
used to wear two caps, in Pakistan it was known as nationalist outfit fighting
for the rights of Baloch and in Iran fighting for the rights of Sunnis, in other
words its sole objective was to create unrest, kill people and sabotage private
and public property. It got a big jolt when its chief was hanged in Iran and it
was forced to go into hibernation.
However,
those who wish to create unrest in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran have once
again organized themselves and are operating from Baluchistan If any action is
taken against the perpetrators, their godfathers start the propaganda that
‘poor Balochs are being victimized’ and also start demanding an independent Baluchistan.
No comments:
Post a Comment