RAWALPINDI, Feb 11: The chief secretary of Balochistan has blamed the federal government for delayed policy decisions which he says are causing unrest and creating a law and order situation in Balochistan, Dawn has learnt.

In particular, the chief secretary has identified four key areas or decisions that have caused dissatisfaction and unrest among the provincial population. They include delay in the NFC award, issue of royalty on gas, construction of cantonments and conversion of 'B' areas into 'A' areas.

In a recent meeting on law and order, the chief secretary stressed the need for tackling issues politically instead of adopting strict administrative measures. An official source said the CS also criticized the role of intelligence agencies which, he said, preferred transmitting information directly to Islamabad rather than passing it on to the field officer.

He informed the federal government that conventional crime was not a problem, it was terrorist activities that should be the key concern of law-enforcement agencies.

The source said that Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, who had chaired that meeting, supported the observations of the Balochistan chief secretary and informed the participants that Rs20 billion had been allocated for the province's development.

The participants were informed that a committee had been formed to address Balochistan's issues politically. The meeting decided that in the future, intelligence agencies would provide direct and timely information to field officers instead of transmitting it to Islamabad. It also decided to upgrade the provincial CID.