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LAHORE, Dec 27: Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has stressed for more dedicated efforts to fight terrorism, extremism and intolerance.
The federal minister was presiding over a two-day inter-provincial law and order conference, which began here on Monday.
Chief secretaries, home secretaries and IGs of all the four provinces participated in the meeting which held at the Punjab Civil Secretariat. Mr Sherpao expressed his satisfaction on the performance of the law enforcement agencies regarding combating terrorism, but added that it was a long-drawn affair and required a constant vigil.
He emphasised upon the need to improve the information sharing system by provincial law enforcement agencies for timely action. The government, the minister said, was working on a programme to replace Levis with police in the tribal belt of Balochistan.
Sources said that uprooting terrorism from Pakistan and ensuring peace was an agenda with which the conference initiated its operation. They said that the overall law and order situation in the country, number of terror incidents, number of foreigners living in Pakistan, money laundering and human smuggling were some of the main features to be taken up in the meeting.
APP ADDS: The federal cabinet would take final decision on the issue of inclusion of religion column in the passport, the minister said while talking to reporters.
To a query, he said, he was satisfied with the working of law enforcement agencies, but he maintained, the increase in population and other socio-economic problems were the major reasons behind increasing crime rate.
Mr Sherpao said the inter-provincial conference would help find solution to law and order problem, and to enable the government formulate a comprehensive policy on the issue.
