MUZAFFARABAD: Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday assured the authorities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) of the federal government’s “maximum possible support” in meeting their needs to counter terrorism and maintain security of foreign nationals.

He gave this assurance during a high level meeting he chaired here in the office of chief secretary during his short visit to the AJK capital on Tuesday.

According to a press information department (PID) handout, the chief secretary and IGP apprised the participants of the security situation as well as the details of foreign nationals working on various projects in the AJK territory.

Both officials also briefed the federal government functionaries on AJK’s Special Protection Unit (SPU) and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), which they said were in the rudimentary stage of evolution due to shortage of resources.

Later in the evening, AJK’s chief secretary Mohammad Usman Chachar told Dawn by telephone that the “whirlwind visit” was undertaken by the federal interior minister under the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to assess the security situation and ascertain the needs of the AJK government in this regard.

He recalled that on Feb 3, the Apex Committee meeting in Peshawar had resolved that the National Action Plan would be reactivated and the federal and provincial, including AJK and GB, governments would adopt a uniform strategy to eliminate terrorism.

A follow up meeting was convened by PM Sharif in Islamabad on Feb 10, where “we had informed him that we have raised the basic structure of CTD and SPU and we need federal government’s support to strengthen them to meet the expectations of all concerned,” Mr Chachar said.

He said it was when the prime minister of Pakistan had tasked Mr Sanaullah to undertake a visit to Muzaffarabad, apart from other provincial capitals, for first-hand information on their requirements and submit his report to him in this regard.

“At today’s meeting, we informed the federal minister the resource-constrained Azad Kashmir government has, as a stopgap arrangement, transferred and posted a skeleton staff from its regular police personnel in the nascent CTD and SPU but it needs funds for the appointment of the specialized permanent staff and procurement of equipment and vehicles etc., for which the PC-1 has already been submitted to the federal government,” he said.

Mr Chachar said that the federal minister had “very positively” conceded the rationale behind AJK’s demands.

He said the interior minister had assured that Islamabad would extend all possible assistance to the AJK government in strengthening its institutions to counter and eliminate terrorism. According to the PID handout, Mr Sanaullah maintained at the meeting that there would be no compromise on security and law and order situation across the country.

“The projects where foreign nationals are working should ensure fool-proof security arrangements within 30 days,” he said, adding, the law that envisaged allocation of one percent of the total cost of projects for security purposes should be implemented in all ongoing projects in letter and in spirit.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2023