Chaudhry Nisar. PHOTO: FILE
Talks with self-exiled Baloch nationalist leaders are in progress and will hopefully bear fruit, said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while addressing the passing out ceremony of the 57th batch of Frontier Corps in Loralai on Saturday.
“We have initiated the dialogue process with political forces in the province, including nationalists living abroad, and the results have been encouraging,” the country’s security czar said.
Read: Pakistan's security linked with peace, stability in Balochistan: Nisar
Nisar also linked Pakistan’s security with peace and stability in Balochistan. “Nobody should have any misconceptions. The state will secure every inch of Balochistan and develop the province,” he said.
The province, according to him, will be developed and “ulterior motives of the enemy” would be thwarted. “This region rich in resources,” he claimed, “has the entire world’s attention, but it belongs to the Baloch people and to Pakistan.”
The minister said the security situation had improved considerably in the past two years. “The government has spent Rs80 billion on Frontier Corps in the past two years and the situation has become stable,” he said.
Read: Balochistan development: Economic corridor will ensure jobs, says Ji Ping
“Officials and personnel not only have to win the war on terror, but they also have to win the hearts of the local people of Balochistan,” Nisar added. FC is running 45 schools, seven colleges and 50 medical centres in Balochistan.
Appreciating the efforts of Balochistan Frontier Corps, he said it was commendable the force was also imparting education to children and providing medical facilities to the people while fighting against the militants.
“Without peace, we cannot develop and without development, we cannot eliminate poverty,” he said.
Read: India confirms presence of Baloch activist in New Delhi
Nisar said criticising the security forces in assemblies was not a good tradition. Complaints against law enforcement agencies, if any, should be referred to the authorities concerned, including the interior ministry.
Replying to a question, he said that Pakistan had handed over to the UN documentary proof of enemy involvement in terrorism in Balochistan, Karachi and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
“We will also share this evidence with different countries,” he added.
Referring to the passing-out parade of 3,682 FC recruits, the minister said 4,000 more youngsters, mostly from Balochistan, would be recruited.
While addressing a news conference in Quetta later, Nisar criticised Afghanistan for blaming Pakistan for each and every trouble inside the country. “Pakistan is no watchman of Afghanistan protecting its international frontiers,” he said. “Kabul should manage its own affairs.”
The minister said four million Afghans were living in Pakistan and most of them were illegal immigrants who had no right to stay in Pakistan. He said the army chief had even handed over proof of Afghan involvement in the Army Public School massacre to the Afghan president to no avail.
The interior minister was accompanied by Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch and other officials.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2015.
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