Jamali for resolving issue as per accords: Army not to guard installations
By Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Feb 3: A high-level meeting here on Monday decided to protect the country’s gas pipelines and other sensitive installations without seeking the support of the army.
“The prime minister has ordered the authorities of the civil armed forces to make sure that there is no further attack on gas pipelines and other installations,” said Balochistan Home Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri.
He told Dawn after the meeting that it was the responsibility of the civil armed forces to protect all important installations in Balochistan. “The issue was debated threadbare and it was decided that the army cannot be deployed everywhere and the civil armed forces should fulfil their responsibilities with renewed vigour,” he added.
Responding to a question, Mr Zehri said Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali believed that the issue of gas pipelines and other installations in Balochistan should be resolved peacefully. “Now I don’t see any problem in the resolution of this problem,” he claimed.
Informed sources said the meeting also considered the threatening statements made by some Baloch tribal leaders and directed the federal and provincial officials concerned to refrain from reacting to them. Instead, they should try to resolve the issue through negotiations.
According to an official statement, the meeting, chaired by the prime minister, warned that federal and provincial governments would act in case of any further disruption of gas supplies.
It also underlined the need to apprehend the saboteurs involved in the two recent blasts. But it agreed that the issue should be settled by asking the chief of the Bugti tribe to nominate representatives within ten days to hold negotiations with the gas companies.
The prime minister said that his government wanted to resolve the issue amicably in accordance with and in light of the previous agreements.
Mr Jamali said the government was determined to protect the vital installations, particularly those gas and electricity lines as they constituted the economic lifeline of the country.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Balochistan’s new governor, Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousef.
