QUETTA, July 4: The Balochistan government has expressed its inability to provide security to Nato supply vehicles because of shortage of law-enforcement personnel.

“We are unable to give full security to Nato supplies along 850km route from Karachi to Chaman with the present available security manpower,” Home Secretary Nasibullah Bazai said on Wednesday. The Balochistan government has informed Islamabad about the situation and demanded that the federal government should provide extra resources and manpower for the safe passage of Nato vehicles.

“We need at least 50 new vehicles, latest weapons and communication system for the safety of Nato containers,” Mr Bazai said.

The provincial government asked the federal government to send 30 platoons of Frontier Constabulary for deployment along the route between Hub and Chaman.

Balochistan faces a serious law and order problem, attacks on pilgrims’ buses and target killings.

“In such a situation it is difficult to provide security to 300 Nato containers from Hub to Chaman,” the home secretary said.

It may be mentioned that militants had destroyed 296 Nato containers and oil tankers in 117 attacks launched in different areas of Balochistan during the past four years. About 48 Nato truckers have been killed and 39 others injured.

Meanwhile, orders were sent by the National Crisis Management Cell to Customs officials in the border town of Chaman about the reopening the route for Nato supplies.

Sources said that authorities concerned asked customs officials that Nato containers parked in Chaman should be allowed to cross into Afghanistan.

There were only four containers parked in the customs house in Chaman for the past eight months.

However, these containers could not cross into Afghanistan because drivers of three containers were not present in the town.

Reports reaching Chaman from across the border said that around 50 containers started their journey towards Pakistan carrying Nato forces equipment and other belongings that Nato forces were sending back to their countries.

LANDI KOTAL: The political administration completed its preparations for a smooth flow of heavy vehicles into Afghanistan after the federal government decided to resume Nato supplies.

Officials said that though they had not yet received official notification about the resumption of supplies, they have made all necessary arrangements at the Torkham border.

“We will ensure safe and uninterrupted flow of heavy traffic from our side of the border,” the official said.

Local transporters, however, expressed their reservations about the government decision and argued that their concerns were not addressed during the negotiations between American and Pakistani officials.

Shakir Afridi, president of the Khyber Transporters Union, said that they were thinking of boycotting resumption of supplies because the amount they were getting as freight charges was much lower than their demand.

He said that they were also concerned about security and called upon the government to ensure security from Karachi to Khyber.