QUETTA, March 6: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has hinted at major changes in the provincial setup 'very soon' in the wake of violence that has wrecked the city twice in the past seven months.

Speaking at a press conference after attending a briefing on the law and order situation here at the Governor's House on Saturday, the prime minister said the possibility of foreign involvement in the Quetta incident could not be ruled out.

He said changes in the provincial setup would be made soon aimed at improving the overall law and order situation and enabling the government to run the province's affairs in a better way.

The prime minister did not elaborate whether the changes would be political or administrative.

Condemning the terrorist attack on the Ashura procession, he said it was unfortunate that Quetta had faced two suicide attacks in the past seven months. He added that the chief minister had already ordered a judicial inquiry into the tragic incident while another committee had been formed to investigate other aspects of the incident.

He said the government would not spare anyone found involved in the massacre. "No matter who they (attackers) are or what position they enjoy, they will be punished according to law," he promised.

Prime Minister Jamali underlined the need for establishing a chain of command to check such attacks in future, giving responsibility to Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf to jointly run the province's affairs in the aftermath of the suicide attacks. Both the governor and the CM accompanied the premier on the occasion.

Mr Jamali said the governor and the chief minister would plan a strategy to provide maximum relief to those affected by the terrorist attack and subsequent acts of arson.

The prime minister said that Quetta belongs to everyone - Punjabis, the Urdu- speaking, Baloch, Pakhtoons, Sindhis, Hazaras and other communities. He added that they had been living in harmony for decades and would coexist in the future, too.

He said that everyone, who had suffered financial losses, would be rehabilitated.

The prime minister said the possibility of foreign involvement could not be ruled out. "I cannot rule out (the involvement of a) foreign hand in the Quetta massacre."

He said significant progress had been made in investigations into the killings, adding he would take the people into confidence in this regard.

He said Pakistan was made a target of terrorist and suicide attacks because it had joined the global anti-terror coalition. However, he made it clear that the country would not cower before terrorists and would fight back with an equal determination.

He urged people to cooperate with the government for improving the situation in the city besides seeking media's help in this regard.

Earlier, a four-member delegation of Fiqah Jafria, headed by provincial minister Younus Changezi, and another delegation of businessmen, led by Amruddin Agha, called on the prime minister and apprised him of their problems in the backdrop of the Ashura incident, adds APP.