ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: The federal government will convene a meeting with the Bugti and the Mazari tribes next week to settle various issues which led to gas pipelines attacks and tension in Balochistan, Interior Minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat said.

Talking to Dawn, the minister said that Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali was of the opinion that the issues relating to gas royalty in his home province must be resolved through political means.

Mr Hayat said he had been asked to hold a meeting which would be attended by the leaders of the Bugti and the Mazari tribes. “I will visit Balochistan next week in this connection,” the minister added.

He urged leaders of both the tribes to shun their differences in the larger interest of the country and for development of their areas.

Responding to a question, Mr Hayat said the government wanted to resolve all problems that pose a threat to the security of gas installations.

The government, he said, would also look into other issues such as agreements reached between oil exploration companies and the Bugti tribe and the overall law and order situation in the areas where gas installations were situated.

He said the government would also arrange a meeting between representatives of oil and gas exploration companies and landholders belonging to the Bugti tribe to resolve their differences.

The minister deplored that the gas pipeline attacks had brought a bad name to the country and tarnished its image in the eyes of foreign investors and oil and gas exploration companies. “We will try hard to restore their confidence,” he said.

Speaking about the steps taken by the government for the protection of gas installations in Punjab and Balochistan, Mr Hayat said a comprehensive plan had been chalked out and paramilitary forces deployed along gas installations had been directed to take every possible step for the protection of pipelines and other gas installations.

“Paramilitary forces have been allowed to use weapons in case of any attempt to attack gas installations in future,” the minister said.

Answering a question about abduction of three officials of Rajanpur police station, the minister termed the incident a ‘shock’ for the law enforcement agencies.

He said an inquiry into the incident had been initiated. “We have reports that police and area tribesmen did not enjoy good relations in the past and abduction of three police officials might have been the outcome of such confrontation,” the minister said.

He said interior secretary Tasneem Noorani and petroleum secretary Abdullah Yousuf had visited areas where paramilitary forces had been deployed for the protection of pipelines. The two officials expressed satisfaction over the security arrangements taken by the forces, he added.