More than 60,000 operations of various kinds have been conducted across Balochistan, a senior government official said on Tuesday, as officials outlined new legislation, surveillance projects and other measures to counter militancy.
Additional Chief Secretary for Home Hamza Shafqat shared the figures at a joint press conference in Quetta with Home Minister Ziaullah Langove and the chief minister’s adviser on information, Shahid Rind.
Shafqat said the government had introduced 18 laws and established 17 departments over the past two years. He added that work was continuing under the National Action Plan and other counter-terrorism initiatives.
He said a “faceless court” had been established and outlined projects including the Safe City initiative, a forensic agency, the Quetta Security Board and the installation of modern surveillance cameras. The government had invested Rs14 billion in counter-terrorism measures, he added.
Shafqat also said more than 1.1 million Afghan nationals had been returned to Afghanistan. He added that measures were under way to improve highway security, with a target of securing the Quetta–Karachi and Quetta–Taftan routes within three to four months.
Langove said strengthening Pakistani forces and introducing effective legislation were necessary to counter militancy. He added that the Balochistan government was providing the forces with the resources required for their operations.
The home minister criticised recent remarks by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, describing them as misleading. He argued that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could have avoided an emergency situation had its government taken similar measures and cooperated with federal authorities and Pakistani forces.
Rind said the counter-terrorism legislation introduced in Balochistan had been approved by both the cabinet and the assembly. He added that Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had taken the opposition into confidence during the legislative process.
Commenting on emergency measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rind cited attempts by its chief minister to organise a march towards Islamabad as a factor in the political situation. Balochistan’s chief minister had not announced a similar march, he said.
During the press conference, Langove also confirmed the abduction of Aurangzeb Majeed, the younger brother of Balochistan Assembly member and adviser on sports and youth affairs Meena Majeed.