17 January 2005	Monday	06 Zilhaj 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 16: A special meeting of the federal cabinet will be held on Monday to discuss the Balochistan situation in the wake of the provincial cabinet's request for help to maintain security in Sui and the Dera Bugti area.

The meeting is likely to be presided over by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, sources said. They said that the federal government might decide against launching a military operation, but resolve to take firm steps to beef up security in and around gas and oil installations in the province.

The cabinet, the sources said, would discuss the ongoing development projects in Balochistan and might take fresh initiatives to woo Baloch nationalists.

The Balochistan cabinet had decided on Friday to formally request the federal government to deploy federal forces to restore order in the Dera Bugti and Sui areas.

An all-party conference has been called by an alliance of four nationalist parties of Balochistan on Jan 18 to discuss the situation in view of its belief that a military action is imminent. The ARD and the MMA have been invited to the conference.

The cabinet meeting is expected to lay down parameters of the proposed federal initiatives. The cabinet would be briefed by Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousuf on the security situation in the province.

The PML's secretary-general and head of a sub-committee of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan is expected to provide a detailed report along with proposals to defuse the situation.

The cabinet is also expected to decide about how to handle the issue through political dialogue with the Baloch nationalists. The cabinet may be briefed on the findings of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan, which is headed by PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and its sub-committees headed by Mushahid Hussain and Wasim Sajjad.

TROOP DEPLOYMENT: Meanwhile, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told Dawn that the federal government was considering permanent posting of army troops in Sui for the protection of gas installations

"The deployment of troops is not being done for launching any crackdown on any party or group, but as part of protective measures to avoid damage to gas installations in future," he said.

Mr Sherpao said besides the army, personnel of Frontier Corps would also be deployed in Sui on permanent basis to foil any attack on gas installations in future. Responding to a question about the possibility of any military action against those involved in the attacks on gas plants and pipelines, he said no such operation was in the offing.

The minister said that a protective fencing around gas installations would be erected, while two fences would be established around the plant. He said due to fear and insecurity, engineers and other staff were hesitant to undertake repair work of the damaged installations, causing further delay in the restoration of gas supply to different parts of the country.

"The deployment of army and the FC is also necessary for the workers' protection," the minister added. Responding to a question about the present situation in the trouble-hit areas, Mr Sherpao said the situation was under control and no further untoward incident had taken place there.

However, he added that two rockets were fired on gas installations on Saturday which could not hit the target. These rockets were fired from a distance of 8-10 kilometres from the gas plant. There was no further attack since the main attack of Jan 11, he said.

Attacks on Sui gas installations started on Jan 7 and continued till Jan 11 in which three personnel of Defence Security Guards, two guards of Frontier Corps and four civilians died.