QUETTA  - In order to effectively combat growing incidents of violence and terrorism in Balochistan, the federal government has provided the provincial police with 3,000 machine guns and other small weapons.
According to sources, the federal authorities on Sunday handed over 3,000 machine guns and MP5s to the Balochistan Police. “About 360,000 bullets for the machine guns and 120,000 bullets for the MP5s have also been given to the police,” they added.
The federal government and army had announced the Balochistan Police and Levies Force would be equipped with modern training and weapons, so that the law-enforcement agencies could deal with terrorists.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has, during his visit to Quetta following a suicide bomb blast at the Police Lines in August this year, said the army had offered to train and arm the Balochistan Police.
He said the army was willing to train the police force on an emergency basis and provide them with 5,000 sub-machine guns for counter-terrorism.
Talking to The Nation, a senior police official said that equipping the police with modern training and weapons would not only boost its performance but also boost its moral. “Despite the lack of modern training and weaponry, our police have gallantly cope with incidents of terrorism in Quetta and other cities of the province,” he said.
NINE DIE IN ROAD ACCIDENTS
At least nine people, including two women, were killed and 38 others wounded in two separate road accidents on National Highways in Qila Saifullah and Mashkel on Sunday.
A passenger bus was heading towards Quetta from Zhob when its driver lost control over it near Qila Saifullah. Resultantly, the bus turned turtle, killing six people, including two women on the spot. More than 30 people, including women and children sustained serious wounds in the incident.
Soon after the incident, local administration rushed to the site and shifted the dead and injured to nearby hospital. The serious injured were later shifted to Quetta for further treatment.
In another incident, three people were killed and eight others sustained serious wounds when a vehicle fell on the highway between Mashkel and Dalbandin.
Levies officials said that the ill-fated vehicle was on its way to Dalbandin from Mashkel when it turned turtle owing to over-speed. One child is also among the deceased. The injured were shifted to nearby hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, Frontier Corps Balochistan claimed to have arrested three miscreants after an exchange of firing in Sui area of Dera Bugti. According to spokesman of Frontier Corps, the FC personnel carried out action against miscreants in Sui area and demolished hideouts.
“After an exchange of firing three miscreants were arrested,” he said, adding that 11-kg explosive material and one two–wheeler were recovered from their possession.
Inspector General FC Major General Muhammad Ejaz Shahid lauded the FC jawans for carrying out the successful action and said FC with the cooperation of people of Balochistan would continue efforts to wipe out terrorism.