ISLAMABAD: In view of the war-like situation in Afghanistan, the country’s civil and military leadership decided on Thursday to form an inter-provincial committee to address border security concerns at tri-borders of Punjab and Balochistan.

The meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, also approved, in principle, a plan for the less-developed areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur to bring them on a par with other parts of Punjab, especially in the area of infrastructure development, provision of water, health and education.

The meeting decided to ensure peace in Sindh and rid the people of the rule of dacoits there.

The meeting reviewed the law and order situation in the country and the implementation status of the 2014 National Action Plan, which was formulated to ensure security across the country.

Civil, military leadership takes the decision due to Afghan situation

The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Ahmed, Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, ISI DG Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, DG MO Maj Gen Nauman Zakria, DG of ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar and senior civil and military officers.

President Dr Arif Alvi had said on Wednesday that the country’s border situation was quite tense due to unrest in Afghanistan and that India could exploit the situation.

While reviewing the law & order situation in the country, especially in tri-border areas of Punjab and Balochistan, it was decided to establish a body, to be known as Inter-Provincial Border Committee, to address boundary issues using Survey of Pakistan 2021. It was also decided to further strengthen civil and police administration in the area to improve security.

Reviewing the implementation status of the National Action Plan, the meeting expressed satisfaction over the achievements made so far and decided to update the plan in order to make it more effective and cater for the needs of present times, especially to meet challenges related to espionage, subversion and cyber-security.

The prime minister appreciated sacrifices rendered by police and the armed forces.

Tight gas: In a separate meeting, the prime minister directed the authorities concerned to devise a policy for tapping the tight gas resources to meet the increasing demand of gas in the country.

Energy Minister Hammad Azhar gave a presentation on gas reserves and consumption. He informed the prime minister that the country had ample tight gas reserves which could be used to meet gas demand.

WB vice president for South Asia meets PM: The World Bank’s South Asia Regional vice president, Hartwig Schafer, met the prime minister and hailed the government’s ambitious Ehsas Programme.

He appreciated the government’s strategy to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2021