ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will strengthen Balochistan’s counterterrorism capacity by sharpening the use of intelligence, technology and coordinated security planning following this month’s deadly militant attacks in the province, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday.
The announcement followed one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in southwestern Balochistan this year, where coordinated militant attacks killed dozens of security personnel this month, prompting large-scale military and intelligence-based operations.
Speaking after co-chairing a security meeting in Quetta with Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Naqvi said the federal and provincial governments had decided to enhance the professional capacity of the province’s Counter Terrorism Department while promising to provide the required resources to the provincial authorities to deal with the situation.
“The federal government will continue to extend every possible support to ensure lasting peace in Balochistan,” he said, according to a statement circulated by his ministry.
“The war against terrorism requires modern technology, better intelligence and a coordinated strategy,” he added.
The interior minister also said the experiences and recommendations of former Balochistan police chiefs should also be incorporated into the province’s security strategy.
Bugti said the federal and provincial governments were moving forward in complete coordination to restore peace in the province.
“We will stay one step ahead on every front in the war against terrorism and will not succumb to any pressure,” he said. “The writ of the state will be established at all costs, and no space will be left for terrorists.”
The chief minister said creating educational, vocational and employment opportunities for young people remained his administration’s priority, adding that peace and economic development would advance together with the support of the federal government.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province, has long been the site of a separatist insurgency. Militant groups have targeted security forces, government installations and Chinese interests involved in infrastructure and mining projects.
Separatist groups accuse the Pakistani state of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral resources while denying local communities a fair share of the benefits, allegations Islamabad rejects.
