ISLAMABAD, June 21: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has called for enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies and improving their prosecution mechanism to effectively counter the menace posed by terrorism and extremism.
Zardari said this while chairing a meeting on the security, law and order situation in the restive province of Balochistan and being apprised of the loopholes in the powers entrusted to the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), the Dawn newspaper reported.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Attacks on the military convoys and security personnel are very common.
During the meeting held in the port city of Gwadar, Zardari appreciated the efforts of the provincial government as well as the sacrifices of LEAs in combating terrorism but emphasised the need for improvement.
“The prosecution system needed to be improved so that terrorists could not escape justice. Competent and brave police officials needed to be posted in the province as it would help improve the law and order situation of the province,” he was quoted as saying in the report.
Zardari stressed political dialogues, saying that it was the way forward to bring prosperity, development and peace to Balochistan, another report of The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
The president was informed that the provincial government was taking steps to provide fool-proof security to Chinese and foreign nationals.
Underlining the need to improve the socio-economic condition of Baloc-histan, the president called for focusing on the skill development of its people and producing more skilled professionals, the report said.
The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Moh¬sin Naqvi, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, Member of National Assembly Malik Shah Gorgaij, Home Min¬ister Ziaullah Lang¬ove, Member of Provincial Assembly Maulana Hiday¬atur Rehman and senior civil and military officials.
Balochistan chief minister Bugti thanked the president for visiting Gwadar, saying that it would give the people of Balochistan a sense of ownership as well as strengthen the resolve of law-enforcement agencies to eliminate terrorism.
Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
The Balochistan Liberation Army accuses China and Pakistan of exploitation of the resource-rich province, a charge rejected by the authorities.
On March 24, the BLA claimed responsibility for an attack on the Gwadar Port Authority Complex. Security forces had killed eight militants of the banned separatist group in the gunfire. (PTI)
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