FC chief says Indian, Afghan agencies behind Balochistan unrest

Published August 10, 2015
This picture shows the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman, Balochistan.  – File Photo
This picture shows the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman, Balochistan. – File Photo

QUETTA: Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan chief, Major General Sher Afgan, on Monday said Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies were involved in the prevailing unrest in the restive province.

He said spy agencies of the two countries were behind subversive activities to disrupt peace in the province. "However, our forces with the support of masses foiled designs of enemies", Major General Sher Afgan told reporters at FC headquarters.

More than 50,000 FC personnel have been guarding the border along Afghanistan, and provide security to 416 kilometres of gas pipelines, 300 kilometres of railway lines and other vital national installations in Balochistan, said Maj Gen Afghan.

"Terrorism is the biggest problem in the province", he said. The FC chief said despite receiving support from abroad, only a handful of miscreants were present in Balochistan, adding that "their number is on a constant decline".

Also read: HRCP’s alarm over sectarian, ethnic violence in Balochistan

In response to a question, Maj Gen Sher Afgan said the government had already announced a Rs5 billion compensation package for militants laying down their weapons before security forces, adding that amounts ranging from Rs0.5 million to Rs1.5 million were being paid to militants who became part of the peace process.

He reiterated that efforts to make Quetta violence free and to ensure rule of law were underway, adding that no compromises would be made in this regard.

Editorial: Balochistan unrest

The FC chief said combined efforts of law-enforcement agencies and the administration had helped in improving the law and order situation in the province.

Earlier, media personnel were given a detailed briefing on the overall law and order situation of the insurgency-hit province.

Know more: Balochistan unrest case: Substantial evidence available against FC, says CJ

Reporters were informed that a 500 km trench had been dug out along the porous Pak-Afghan border to stop the flow of weapons and narcotics into Pakistan.

The width and depth of the trench is 10 feet by 10 feet, said, said Major General Sher Afgan, adding that it had helped security forces in stemming the flow of narcotics and weapons from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...