June 29, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 17, 1423

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QUETTA, June 28: Frontier Corps has been deployed in Sui and Dera Bugti to protect the gas installations as these had constantly been under rocket attack and firing over the years.

Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development, Mr Ahmed Bukhsh Lahri, said this while replying to a question about the Dera Bugti situation at a post-budget press conference here on Friday.

He said the government had deployed the FC personnel on strategic locations to block the movement of people who could be involved in these attacks. He said the government had no political motives behind this operation.

He told a questioner that the Balochistan government would not bear the expenses of Frontier Corps’ deployment in Sui and Dera Bugti. He said the gas companies would make payment to the Frontier Corps in this connection as they had requested the government for their deployment for providing protection to the gas wells and other installation.

He said the provincial government had made no allocation for payment to the FC in the next financial year’s budget.

He said the Balochistan government had allocated Rs650 million for police and levies reforms. In this connection, 2,000 new posts have been created for levies.

He said that 1,200 levies soldiers would be recruited during the financial year 2002-03.

He said that investigation and prosecution section in the levies and police would be established separately to make the force more effective. With these two forces gaining strength and effectiveness, there will be no need for acquiring services of the FC for maintaining law and order.