ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday directed take effective measures to ensure the “complete elimination” of terrorism in response to the spate of violence across the country, especially in Balochistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari was talking to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti who called on him at The President House, said a statement issued by the President House media wing on Tuesday.
President Zardari discussed the security and law and order situation in the province with the Interior Minister and the Balochistan CM and was briefed on the recent terror incidents.
A statement issued by the President House said proposals regarding the establishment of law and order in Balochistan were discussed, while Zardari stressed the need for effective measures for the “complete elimination of terrorists”.
“All possible steps should be taken to improve the security situation in Balochistan,” the president told the two officials.
In Musakhail, militants killed 23 people after checking their ID documents. In Khadkocha, they blocked a highway, stormed a police station, and held Levies officials hostage.
In Kalat, attacks on a Levies station, two hotels, and a tribal elder’s residence left 11 dead and nine injured. Meanwhile, six bodies were found in Bolan’s Kolpur area, believed to have been shot by militants. In response, security forces neutralised 21 militants, as CM Bugti and the interior minister vowed to eliminate terrorism in the province.
Naqvi vows support for CM Bugti
Earlier in the day Interior Minister Naqvi vowed to stand behind Bugti’s government regarding its counterterrorism strategy.
Addressing the media in Quetta flanked by CM Bugti, Naqvi said: “My aim to visit is to let you all and the people of Balochistan know that the federal interior minister is standing behind the Balochistan chief minister.
“Whatever decision he (Bugti) makes, we will support him,” the interior minister affirmed.
Naqvi and Bugti were speaking to the media after holding a meeting earlier today at CM House on Balochistan’s law and order.
The meeting was attended by top officials of law enforcement agencies, including the provincial chief secretary and police chief, heads of Frontier Corps North and South, Levies director general and Counter-Terrorism Department DIG, the ministry said on X.
“Everyone — [including] the president, prime minister, and the army chief — is concerned for Balochistan and is working towards a solution,” Naqvi told the media today.
Speaking alongside Naqvi, CM Bugti said the hunt for terrorists was under way and a “response mechanism” was in place.
“How can you say that there was no response [to the attacks]?” the chief minister said, as he cited the example of a captain who was martyred while responding to terror-related incidents in the province.
“He sacrificed his life for the people of Balochistan,” Bugti highlighted, adding that the government stood with the “53 [bereaved] families”.
In the latest bout terrorism militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launched numerous attacks on Sunday midnight across Balochistan, targeting security personnel as well as civilians, particularly those hailing from Punjab.
At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives as militants went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles.
