QUETTA, Jan 31: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Monday declared that security forces would remain in Sui and Dera Bugti to protect national assets and counter terrorists who posed threats to gas plants and people in the area.

Speaking at a press conference at the chief minister's secretariat after attending a meeting on the Sui situation, the minister said the government would strictly deal with saboteurs to ensure continuation of the projects that had been launched to promote economic activity.

The provincial governor, chief minister, corps commander, federal railways secretary and officials of law-enforcement agencies attended the meeting. Mr Sherpao said federal security forces were deployed in Sui on the request of the provincial cabinet was the situation became alarming after gas installations had been damaged in rocket attacks on Jan 7.

He said 819 rockets were fired and 47 bombs exploded in Sui our the past six months. He said the damage to the plants caused about Rs400 million loss to the Pakistan Petroleum Limited while the provincial government lost Rs154 million in excise royalty due to suspension of gas supply.

He said industries were facing losses of Rs150 million to Rs200 million a day since the gas plants were targeted. He said that since 2003, 1,529 rockets had been fired and 113 bombs exploded in Quetta, Sui, Kohlu and Gwadar. He said no government would tolerate such acts.

The minister said that after the deployment of security forces in Sui the situation had become calm but the saboteurs had changed their tactics and were now targeting railway tracks and electricity transmission towers to create disorder.

He said militiamen had been posted at vital points on railway bridges and transmission lines but in the wake of an increase in subversive acts the government would beef up security measures to protect sensitive installations.

Mr Sherpao said the meeting reviewed the Balochistan Liberation Army's activities. Law-enforcement agencies were closely watching the situation and action would be taken at an appropriate time.

In reply to a question about Pakistan Muslim League chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's indication that Frontier Corps checkpoints in Sui would be removed, the minister said he would discuss the issue with the PML leader in Islamabad.

However, he said the security forces facing tribesmen armed with sophisticated weapons would remain in Dera Bugti till their presence was deemed necessary. Mr Sherpao said the government would not allow any derailing of the political process started to resolve the Balochistan issue through dialogue. He said leaders of the province had been contacted to settle the problems through talks.

In reply to a question, he said that if Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Bugti believed that men of his tribe were not involved in the attacks then he should not object to the deployment of security forces in Sui as their task was to curb terrorism and apprehend the saboteurs.

The minister said the Pakistan Petroleum Limited and the Oil and Gas Development Corporation paid Rs120 million annually to the Bugti tribe. He said that anti-progress elements were behind the subversive acts because they feared that completion of large projects would affect their political domination.

He said hurdles were being created in the implementation of the development programme that would change the social environment of the province. He declared that the government would not tolerate any obstruction to development activities that had been launched for the betterment of the province.

Replying to a question about Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's presence in the country, Mr Sherpao said it was not clear if he was alive. However, it was obvious that he would like to live in a friendly environment and, therefore, Pakistan did not suit him.