ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said on Tuesday that the government would not spare anybody involved in attacks on vital installations in Balochistan.

Talking to reporters after the ground breaking ceremony of the Kashmir Highway's reconstruction work, the minister indicated that the government had decided to launch a crackdown against those destroying national assets.

"The government has been trying to resolve the issue of Balochistan through negotiations, but those who are killing innocent people in Balochistan will be dealt with iron hands," he said.

Mr Sherpao emphasized that the government would continue talks with the tribal leaders of Balochistan. "The government wants to resolve all the issues relating to Balochistan through dialogue but not at the cost of destruction of national assets."

He said the government was committed to carry out uplift activities in Balochistan on a mass scale but some elements thought that the development in the province would eliminate their hegemony.

He said security forces were still around gas installations in Sui and they would stay there according to the requirement. Referring to the law and order situation in the province, the interior minister said that two missile attacks were carried out in Quetta on Tuesday in which one person was killed and four others were wounded.

He said such activities could be a blow to the peace process going on to resolve the crisis. He said the government was exercising restraint but such activities would not be tolerated any more.

In reply to a question, Mr Sherpao said that foreign hand could not be ruled out in these incidents. Talking about the situation in Northern Areas, he said the NWFP government, the Northern Areas administration and the AJK government had been directed to take measures to maintain peace during Muharram.