Quetta - Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Thursday that India wanted to disrupt China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for which New Delhi was spending billions of dollars to create anarchy and commotion through terror activities in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had never signed National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) like PPP did, however, the former would scale up another milestone by completing its parliamentary period.

Talking to mediamen after inaugurating first executive passport office in Quetta’s Shahbaz Town, Ahsan advised Tahirul Qadri to transform his sit-in into an all parties’ conference (APC) for national cohesion

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Chairman Nadra, home secretary and other high officials were also present on the occasion.

He said political stability was inevitable for nation’s progress. He went on to say that India was even using Afghan soil to sabotage CPEC and Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav had confessed to the fact that his country was materialising billions of dollars to disrupt CPEC.

“Our competition with India and other regional countries is in economic arena. No one can cast an evil eye when our economy will be strong,” said the interior minister.

On PPP’s last tenure, Ahsan said that terrorism was on its pinnacle in 2013 that highways in Balochistan and Karachi were unsafe for travelling, but the situation had reversed following PML-N came into power. “People are now travelling peacefully on these thoroughfares and voices of kidnapping for ransom were not raised in the last four years from Balochistan,” the minister said.

Ahsan also warned the political rivals against dragging each other’s legs which could sink country. He asked them to work for stability of democratic system.

The interior minister also inspected various sections of the executive passport office which had been constructed within four months with an estimated cost of Rs18 million.

The executive passport office was the first passport office in Balochistan which had been equipped with sophisticated facilities, he said, adding, at least 80 persons could be extended services at a time while preparation of a passport would take time between 20 to 25 minutes.

The interior minister said that federal government's 'NRO' was the ‘nation's revival order’.  He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had revived the country's economy, energy and security in the last four years.

He praised the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for setting up the office in a record four months time.

APP add: Ahsan Thursday announced a five-year scholarship scheme for raising professional capacity of Balochistan lawyers and assured the cooperation of the federal government to promote law-standard education in the province.

Talking to a delegation of Balochistan High Court Bar Association, Balochistan Bar Council and Quetta Bar Association led by Munir Ahmed Kakar at Chief Minister's Secretariat, the interior minister said that the federal government would cooperate with the young lawyers to increase their professional capacity.

For this purpose, a five-year scholarship programme has been started costing a billion rupees, in which 100 scholarships will be awarded, with 90 graduate-level and 10 postgraduate-level, 20 to 25 scholarships will be awarded annually in five-year programme, while the foreign scholarship will cost Rs35 million. He said, apart from this, two students of the two-year graduate programme will cost Rs5.5 million and Rs650 million has been allocated for this purpose and scholarships will be awarded on hundred percent merit and transparency like Higher Education Commission would be maintained.

Lawyers have played an important role in the democratic movement and government is making efforts to enhance their professional capabilities.

Interior minister assured the lawyers of Balochistan that government will work to resolve their all issues and invited them to visit Islamabad and meet relevant officials of Law Ministry.

At the end lawyers present on the occasion thanked Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal for the scholarship programme announced for the welfare of the lawyers of Balochistan.