Pakistan, July 9 -- The latest killings in Balochistan should not be treated as another grim provincial dispatch. They belong to a larger militant pattern that has gathered pace over the past two years and is now testing the state's patience and resolve at every possible level. According to DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, four civilians, 27 policemen and 11 soldiers have been martyred in recent attacks and follow-up operations, while 54 terrorists have been killed.

The choice of targets helps cut through the fog. A police post guarding Mangi Dam in Ziarat was assaulted from multiple directions. An army convoy was ambushed near Bela-Winder. All this cannot be swept under the rug as scattered acts of violence. Essentially, it was an ...