Balochistan has been shaken by one of the worst attacks in recent memory. In a coordinated assault targeting more than a dozen locations across the province, 38 people lost their lives, including 23 passengers who were offloaded from their trucks, their identities verified, and then shot. Police stations were ransacked, weapons seized, soldiers and levies taken hostage, cars and cargo facilities set ablaze—every instrument of the state was mercilessly attacked, plunging the province into a state that resembles all-out war.

In response, the military launched operations claiming to have neutralized 21 terrorists and injured several others. However, this response has come too little, too late. The damage has been done, destabilising the province and casting further doubt on Pakistan’s control over Balochistan. Unfortunately, this is not the first time such an attack has occurred. Balochistan has experienced a steady increase in violence, and there seems to be a lack of effective government action to counter it. Condemnations have poured in from various government ministers, the interior ministry, the prime minister’s office, and the Balochistan chief minister’s office, but these words are as insubstantial as sand in the wind. What is urgently needed now is clear, direct, and concentrated action to root out these terrorists once and for all.

What is preventing the government from preemptively striking if it knows where these terrorists are located? Pakistan possesses a well-equipped military with advanced weaponry, fully capable of rooting out militants in this area. These attacks should now galvanise the government’s resolve and silence critics of military operations in Pakistan. Whether through the continuation of the National Action Plan (NAP) under Azm-e-Istehkam or a new kinetic operation to sweep Balochistan from top to bottom, ensuring no insurgent remains, such measures are not just necessary but urgently needed. Pakistan’s survival depends on it.

Beyond the harm to our national image, the fact that dozens of civilians could be martyred in a single day while our government remains powerless is lamentable. The notion of using this province as a connective bridge between Pakistan and China is a pipe dream if the security situation remains as dire as it is. Attracting investors and exploiting resources in the province will be impossible under such conditions.

Pakistan is in a state of war, whether it wishes to acknowledge it or not. It must now act accordingly and bring its full military might to bear.