QUETTA: Police and Frontier Corps (FC) on Saturday launched a crackdown against shopkeepers selling hate material in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Quetta, Razzaq Cheema stated that 40 suspects were apprehended and twenty shops were sealed during different raids in Quetta.

Police also recovered 715 detonators, walkie-talkie sets and other materials from the sealed shops.

Since the Peshawar school attack, security forces have been conducting raids in different parts of Balochistan and arresting suspected militants.

FC also conducted raids in Chaman, Killa Abdullah, Khuzdar, Turbat and other districts of Balochistan and recovered hate materials including books, pamphlets, CDs and literature.

Spokesman FC in a statement stated that the crackdown was launched after approval by the federal government.

CCPO Quetta Razzaq Cheema stated that raids were conducted in Kuchlak, Satellite Town, Pashtoonbabad and other areas and more than forty shopkeepers were arrested.

"We will not allow anyone to spread hatred," Cheema said. Markets in Quetta have been awash with CDs and hate literature for more than a decade.

This is the first time that police and FC have launched a joint crackdown against shopkeepers.

"We are interrogating the arrested shopkeepers," Razzaq Cheema said.

When asked about threats in Quetta, the CCPO stated that information about threats were available but police were determined to ensure peace in the province.