QUETTA: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday said a hidden war was continuing in Balochistan and all stakeholders would have to play a joint role for curbing militancy and restoring peace in the province.
He was speaking to media persons here at the Chief Minister House. Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid, Minister of State Jam Kamal, National Party leader Mir Hasil Bizenjo and Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal were present on the occasion.The Interior Minister said the government was ready to hold talks with those who believed in dialogue, but not with those who were bent upon continuing militancy.He said that on the instructions of Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, he visited Ziarat and Quetta today.
The militants had hurt the nation by damaging the Quaid-e-Azam’s Residency in Ziarat, which was a national heritage.He said the residency would would be rehabilitated and restored to its original shape within three months. “I have directed the authorities to deploy security personnel at all monuments across the country,” he added.Nisar said that no religion allowed killing innocent citizens. Islam and both Baloch and Pashtoon traditions never allowed attacks on women, children and innocent citizens even in the days of war, he added.
Rather women, children and common people are given protection by Balochs and Pashtoons and the bomb attacks on Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University bus and Bolan Medical College Hospital Quetta were not part of any religion, or traditions, he regretted.He said the Federal Government shared the grief of families of those, who had lost lives in the bomb attacks and firing by militants in the two incidents.He said the Federal Government would extend full collaboration to the Balochistan Government to secure peace in province.Nisar paid tribute to late deputy commissioner Quetta Abdul Mansoor Kakar, who sacrificed his life in the attack at BMC Hospital. He would given an award.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch thanked Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif for expressing sympathy with the people of Balochistan and assured his government’s all-out his cooperation in restoring peace.He said that he himself along with Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad, Inspector General Police Mushtaq Sukhira and other officials supervised the six-hour operation of law enforcement agencies against the militants, who had made staff and patients at BMC Hospital hospital on Saturday.He said that the development of Balochistan was linked with peace and the federal and provincial governments and all other stakeholders would join hands for the purpose. – APP
