QUETTA: Interior Minister retired Brigadier Ijaz Shah has said that the border at Torkham has been opened round-the-clock to boost trade with Afghanistan.

Talking to journalists after presiding over a meeting on law and order here on Thursday, the minister said that if required resources would available at the Chaman border for 24 hours.

Balochistan Chief Secretary retired Capt Fazeel Asghar, Home Secretary Haider Shikoh, IG Police Mohsin Hassan Butt, Frontier Corps IG Syed Fayyaz Hussain Shah and other officials briefed the minister on the law and order situation.

Expressing satisfaction over the law and order situation in Balochistan, the interior minister said that despite facing shortage of resources and manpower, security forces had played an important role in maintaining peace during Muharram in the province.

“I have come to Quetta to appreciate the performance of security forces during Muharram,” he added.

He said the federal government would provide all help and resources for enhancing professional capacity of security personnel deputed in Balochistan.

He said security forces had normalised the law and order situation across the country.

In reply to a question about the ‘Azadi March’ to be launched by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the minister said: “I’m hopeful Maulana Fazlur Rehman will not hold the march in view of the situation prevailing in occupied Kashmir as he himself remained chairman of the Kashmir committee for 10 years.”

He said it was a democratic right of Maulana Fazl or any other leader to hold marches, but nobody had the right to take the law into his own hands.

The minister said the government had no plan to arrest the Maulana, but if he broke the law he would be arrested. “Whoever commits a crime will face the music,” he warned.

In reply to another question, he said the government had nothing to do with the arrest of Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khursheed Shah. The former leader of the opposition had been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on corruption charges, he added.

“The arrest of Khursheed Shah will have no impact on the overall situation in the country,” he said.

On rumours about bargaining by Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif with the government, the minister said it was a matter between NAB and Mr Sharif and “there is no such thing in my knowledge”.

About the presence of Indian agents in Balochistan, Mr Shah said that in this modern era there was no need to send agents for subversive activities in another country. “Now they use local people for this purpose. There is a need to educate our society and media should play its role in educating people in this regard.”

About making the Balochistan capital a safe city, the minister said not only Quetta but it was the requirement of other towns and cities of the province and he had sought a report in this regard from the authorities concerned.

He scotched rumours about any differences between the federal and Balochistan governments.

Earlier, the interior minister had a meeting with Governor retired Justice Amanullah Khan Yasinzai and Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2019