QUETTA - Showing concern over the worsening law and order situation in Quetta, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday directed Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to catch the perpetrators involved in terrorist activities in the city.
“Establishing peace in a city of 20 streets and 20 markets shouldn’t be so difficult,” the premier said and added he had directed all the agencies to cooperate with the Balochistan government.
The premier was talking to the media in Quetta after chairing a high- level meeting on law and order situation in Balochistan.
The prime minister was accompanied by Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai, ISI DG Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, Intelligence Bureau (IB) DG and other top officials.
Nawaz said that federal and provincial governments had decided that terrorism would no longer be tolerated and country’s most competent police and administrative officers would be appointed in Balochistan.
The premier chaired the meeting at the Governor’s House where he was given a briefing over the law and order situation of Balochistan. He said: “Government is committed to resolve all issues ranging from Gwadar to Khyber to restore peace in Balochistan.”
He announced that after returning from China, he would call a meeting in which leaders of all political parties would be invited to find solution to all the issues besieging the country.
Sources said that the PM, during the meeting, directed intelligence agencies to increase coordination and directed the law enforcement agencies to implement the law and order policy.
Speaking to the media, he said incidents of terrorism in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan are highly regrettable. “These incidents are not tolerable either for the federal or provincial government.”
He said he had thorough discussion with provincial authorities over the situation and “we all have decided that terrorism and extremism would not be tolerated”.
The premier said improvement would be brought in administration and the police would be held responsible, if targeted killing and forced disappearance occur.
Lauding the performance of police, he appreciated officials of Frontier Corps, army and police who sacrificed their lives.
He went on to say that he had discussed the issue of Quetta’s security with all intelligence agencies and they would extend all sort of support to the provincial government in this connection.
He said the centre had told the Balochistan chief minister that most competent police officers would be appointed in the province, if he asks to do so. “A change will also be brought in administration.”
He said that he had directed the ISI and IB that they should take recent Hazara town incident as a test case and bring the culprits to the book.
He said that he would try to keep visiting Balochistan to monitor the law and order. “I will visit Balochistan and other parts of the country even where we are not in the government so that extremism and terrorism could be eliminated.”
He said that the federal government would also strive hard to bring peace in Sindh and Karachi.