PESHAWAR: The Apex Committee has decided to provide bulletproof vehicles to police on priority basis and fill vacant positions in the department immediately to uproot terrorism and maintain law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The decisions were made in a meeting of Apex Committee held here on Thursday with Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair.

A press note issued by the chief minister’s secretariat said that the meeting was attended by Adviser to Chief Minister Muzammil Aslam, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Omar Ahmed Bukhari, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur and other senior civil and military officials.

The meeting reviewed overall law and order in detail, with extensive deliberations on improving the deteriorating security conditions in certain districts of the province. The meeting made important decisions to address the challenges.

CM says govt and army ‘on same page’ to uproot terrorism

The participants of the meeting offered fateha for the martyrs of security forces and law enforcement agencies. They paid rich tributes to those, who sacrificed their lives, for restoration of peace and security.

They stressed the need for continued joint efforts by all stakeholders including civil government, security forces and people to combat terrorism. They decided to enhance the capacity of police and civil administration. They decided to provide bulletproof vehicles to police on priority basis and make immediate recruitments to fill vacant positions in the department.

The chief minister on the occasion announced special package for the heirs of 178 martyrs of Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps (FC) belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They were martyred during the last six months. As per the decision, the families of martyred soldiers will receive Rs1 million while the families of martyred officers will receive Rs2 million.

It was also decided to provide employment opportunities to the children of army and FC martyrs in police and other government departments on priority basis.

The committee gave special consideration to the current law and order situation in Kurram tribal district. It thoroughly reviewed the existing situation there, its root causes and underlying factors. It decided that all available options would be utilised to restore peace, protect the lives and property of people and maintain wrt of the government in the area.

The forum also stressed the need for paying special attention to improving the living standard of people in merged districts. It also underscored the importance of people’s support in restoring sustainable peace. It highlighted the importance of unified efforts of all stakeholders including government, military, police and administration for the purpose.

The participants of the meeting said that provincial government sought the assistance of security forces under Article 245 of Constitution for anti-terrorism operations. They said that security forces, in coordination with police and civil administration, were making tireless efforts to curb the menace of terrorism in the province.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that peace was the top priority of his government and there would be no compromise on it. He added that government, civil administration and military were on the same page to fight terrorism and they would continue their joint efforts until the issue was resolved forever.

Mr Gandapur remarked that uprooting terrorism and restoring peace were their common objectives. He said that fight against terrorism was a collective battle that could only be won through joint and unified efforts. He appreciated army for its cooperation with the government in restoring peace in the province.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2024