PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Interior Rahman Malik said on Tuesday that trial of the arrested militants would be carried out in a fair and transparent manner under the amended Anti Terrorism Act.

The trial would be so fair and just that no room would be left for the critics to point finger at its transparency, he added.

Talking to journalists here after addressing the maiden Frontier Constabulary Darbar at FC Headquarters, the interior minister, flanked by FC Commandant Zafarullah Khan, brushed aside the propaganda campaign by certain quarters casting aspersions over the credibility of the prosecution and interrogation of the arrested militants.

‘Fair justice will be meted out to them during the whole process and those found guilty will be taken to task under the law of the land,’ he added.

To a question about his meetings with NWFP governor and chief minister, Mr Malik said it was mainly focused on the capacity building of law enforcement agencies with special reference to police, amended ATA, over all law and order situation in the province and adjacent tribal regions.

About the recent bomb blasts in Peshawar and Fata, he said that it was not a new phenomenon in Pakistan.

‘We are under aggression for the last 25 years and the present aggression is a part of that, sometimes it goes up and sometimes it goes down and I think what success the Pakistan Army has attained it has not been of course liked by the enemies of Pakistan and they have resorted to a new wave. But I assure you that the government of Pakistan has the will and determination to counter and Insha’Allah we will counter it,’ he added.

The minister said that government would come in action against the militants whenever it received credible information in any part of the country.

‘(There is) no room for the terrorists in Pakistan. Our target is not Wazirs, Mehsud or Dawar tribes. Basically all the actions are against terrorists,’ he said.

To a question, he described the rumours about infiltration of militants from across the western border as false.

‘We are ready to counter any such threat effectively. We have always achieved successes and the recent action in Swat is a vivid example of it,’ he added.
 
Earlier, addressing the FC Darbar, Mr Malik highly eulogised the role Frontier Constabulary in the war against militancy and terrorism and held the sacrifices of its personnel in high esteem.

‘I salute to the martyrs of FC, who laid down their precious lives for the protection and safety of people and motherland during war against militancy and terrorism,’ he said.

The minister said that salaries of FC personnel had been doubled while the president and prime minister had also announced more incentives for the force.

Mr Malik said that 50 new FC platoons had been sanctioned and every platoon would be named after an official, killed during war against terrorism.

He announced a residential colony for FC personnel wherein plots would be given to heirs of the officials, who laid down their lives for their country.

In addition to medals, he said, special focus would be given to scion of FC personnel to read in top educational institutes on basis of merit.

He said troops of FC were not only performing their duties efficiently in NWFP but also in different areas of the country and that their matchless sacrifices during war against terrorism and militancy had globally been acknowledged.—APP