QUETTA: Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti said on Thursday that the provincial government had decided to establish special cells of security forces, including Frontier Corps, police, Levies and intelligence agencies, at the divisional level to ensure they worked in close coordination in countering terrorist attacks.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting on the law and order situation, the minister said that the group called the ‘fusion cells’ had already been working at the provincial level successfully in 40 per cent of areas of Balochistan where the law and order situation had improved.

The cells would be set up at the district level later, he added.

Mr Bugti said the meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, took a number of decisions for improving law and order in the province and establishing the writ of the government.

Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Naseer Khan Janjua, the General Officer Commanding of 33 and 42 Divisions, Chief Secretary Saifullah Chattah, Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani, Inspector General of the Frontier Corps Maj Gen Sher Afgan, Inspector General of Police Amlish Khan and other senior officials concerned attended the meeting.

Mr Bugti admitted that the Turbat incident had taken place because of lack of coordination among law-enforcement agencies, but said steps would be taken to prevent such incidents in future.

Answering a question, he said the government was not planning to launch a military operation like Zarb-i-Azb in Balochistan. There was no need for that because Frontier Corps, police, Levies and other security agencies had already carried out successful search operations against militants and anti-social elements in the province, he said.

The minister said the search operations would continue across Balochistan. “We have formulated a new policy in consultation with our coalition partners and civil and military leadership.”

He said under the new plan, elected representatives of local government would help law-enforcement agencies in their efforts to restore peace and order in the province.

Mr Bugti said Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif had taken notice of the killing of 20 labourers in Turbat and assured all help to the provincial government in crushing terrorists.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2015

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