April 11, 2003	Friday	Safar 8, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 10: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has directed officials of the interior ministry to get hold of the saboteurs involved in gas pipeline blast of Monday.

Official sources told Dawn that the prime minister issued directive to the ministry after the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources expressed its inability to stop terrorist attacks on gas pipelines in the country.

The petroleum ministry informed the prime minister that they had nothing to do with the law and order, and that the matter be referred to the Ministry of Interior. After this, the prime minister asked the interior ministry to coordinate efforts with the law enforcing agencies and government of Punjab to chase the saboteurs.

The prime minister, the sources said, was advised by the petroleum ministry to get an old feud resolved between Balochistan’s Bugti and Mari tribes whose people were primarily involved in such subversive activities.

“We have requested the prime minister to meet heads of both the tribes and resolve this issue so that frequent interruptions to gas supplies to domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural consumers could be stopped,” said an official of the ministry of petroleum.

When contacted, he said the prime minister had been told that certain concessional package for the supply of gas to the people of Balochistan and southern Punjab should be considered. Mr Jamali was also requested to settle the royalty issue for some bigger tribes in Balochistan.

The prime minister also directed the ministry of petroleum to ensure that no industry should be closed down due to insufficient supply of gas for any reason, the sources added.

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