April 01, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23, 1429

ISLAMABAD, March 31: The government will announce its policy on law and order and matters concerning national security in a couple of weeks.

“Prime Minister’s adviser Rehman Malik is taking briefings on different matters relating to national security, after which the interior ministry will be able to finalise the new policy to be announced by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani,” the ministry’s spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema told Dawn on Monday.

Sources said the policy would focus on terrorism with special reference to suicide bombings, extremism, human smuggling and matters relating to madressah reforms.

The interior ministry postponed the weekly media briefing on law and order situation scheduled for Tuesday. “We have postponed the briefing because of some other engagements,” the spokesman said.

“It is yet to be decided whether the weekly briefings would continue,” he said in reply to a question.

The interior ministry held weekly media briefings on the directives of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz issued in mid-2007 after the Lal Masjid operation in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the adviser presided over a meeting of the National Public Safety Commission (NPSC) and sought suggestions on the issue of the repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR).