QUETTA, Pakistan: The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Balochistan Ahsan Mehboob on Friday said Indian intelligence agency RAW was funding different militant and armed groups including Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and separatists to disrupt peace and stability in Balochistan.
They want to destabilize economy and affect efforts being made to execute China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said.
“We had to face several obstacles in implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) and 716 police personnel were martyred and over 500 suffered injuries in different encounters with terrorists and attacks by anti-peace elements during the operations under NAP,” the IGP said in an exclusive interview with the state-run newd agency APP.
However, now NAP has started bearing fruits as law enforcement agencies have taken control on militants.
“Situation is now very different in Turbat, Awaran, Panjgur, Dera Bugti and Kohlu as was in the past as no one could enter there and move freely as militants were attacking law enforcement agencies/civilians and damaging government properties,” he said, adding that NAP was first started in these specific districts and these were transformed from volatile to completely peaceful areas.
The IGP Balochistan said that after the killing of Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, the law and order situation started to deteriorate in the province and Indian intelligence took benefit of the situation and started funding and providing fight-training to militants.
“There were some shortcomings and unrealistic aspects in strategies to deal with militancy in past which had been reported soon after the killing of Nawab Bugti,” he said and added that later, those shortcomings were removed when National Action Plan was formulated.
The Balochistan police chief said, “Although we had got some results of NAP, but the government would have to execute development projects in affected areas to accelerate the pace of implementation of NAP.”
“We will have to focus on efforts to deprive militants from hiring/taking support of some locals of any area,” he said, adding that for which, the government would have to provide employment to jobless youth and provide all basic civic amenities and utility services in these areas.
“I reject the false and baseless propaganda against NAP. There is no failure in NAP implementation as we have obtained results,” he said.
However, the government departments will have to immediately provide health, education and other necessary facilities to local people in order to remove sense of deprivation, the Inspector General Police suggested.
He said that backbone of separatists and religious fanatics had been broken up through NAP actions and they were forced to flee the areas where they were waging militancy.
It is evidence of successful results of the NAP that now, there was no happening of incidents of targeted killing of Hazara community people and abduction of Hindu community men which were reported at a large scale few years back,” Mehboob said.
He said that strength of Balochistan Police was 37,000 and 70 platoons of police were deployed for security of important government installations in the provincial capital Quetta.
Presently, 8,000 police personnel have been performing their duties in Quetta and under NAP, several new posts were created in Balochistan police and recruitment was made to ensure peace and security in the province, he added.
“We formed Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Police which needs 1,200 more personnel and we also need more personnel in police,” he said.
He said CTD was formed following the NAP, which in collaboration with Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF), carried out several search operations against terrorists and successfully rooted out their networks.
The networks of militant organizations including religious and separatists have been destroyed through successful actions taken by the CTD and ATF, he said, adding that all these operations were carried out following the intelligence information.
In reply to a question, the provincial police chief Mehboob said that non-custom paid illegal (Kabli) vehicles were also used in acts of terror.
“Stern action was taken against the business of Kabli vehicles in the province,” he added.
“To make implementation of NAP effectively, around Rs 600 million were spent to purchase new vehicles including bullet proof for Balochistan police,” he said.
He said that to make role of Balochistan police more effective in the NAP, Pakistan Army was requested to provide professional training to police personnel.
“I am happy to inform you that the widow of a martyred police officers and sons of three martyred police officers are among those police officers and personnel who were getting professional training of anti-terrorism to participate in actions being taken against terrorists,” he added.
“Over 1,400 police personnel have completed their anti-terrorists professional training by Army instructors so far and more were also getting their training,” he said.
He said that it was a true that some senior police officials who were transferred from Islamabad and other provinces to Balochistan, avoided to join their duty in Balochistan. Such police officials will have to join their duties in Balochistan to serve the nation and the country, he said.
He said that cases of the terrorists found involved in target killings of police officers/personnel were heard and decided by the Military Courts and Anti-Terrorist Courts.
“Eight to 10 terrorists involved in target killings of police personnel were sentenced by the courts,” he added.
He said that a comprehensive plan had been devised for security of CPEC from Zhob to Gwadar.
About Rs 4 billion are required for the implementation of the security plan, devised for CPEC from Zhob to Gwadar.
The provincial police chief assured that Balochistan would fulfill its responsibilities if it was assigned security in this regard.
He suggested that division of ‘A’ and ‘B’ Area should be abolished to implement the National Action Plan in a better way.
