Interior Minister Rehman Malik – File Photo by APP

QUETTA: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday said the government would call a peace conference of local and foreign religious scholars in Quetta to control violence caused by sectarianism.

“Religious scholars and other stakeholders from different walks of life from across the country and abroad will be invited to attend the peace conference in Quetta to end sectarian hatred and violence,” Mr Malik said.

He was talking to media at the Sarawan House Quetta after meeting with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Haji Lashkari Raisani.

The minister said that some extremist elements were involved in activities to damage peace in Balochistan and added that the government would utilise all the resources available to it to resolve the province’s law and order issues.

“We will not allow anti-peace elements to implement their nefarious designs,” he said.

Referring to the missing persons issue, he said the total number of missing persons hailing from Balochistan was 54 and not 6,000.

“I have discussed the missing persons issue with Lashkari Raisani and I will inform President Asif Ali Zardari about the reservations of Raisani in this regard,” he said, adding that both federal and provincial governments had been making efforts to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

He added that the commission set up on the missing persons issue was active and discharging its services effectively. He said that the PPP-led government was aware of Balochistan’s conditions and wanted to put the province on the track of progress and prosperity.

“Balochistan province is rich in mines and minerals and the government will utilise the wealth of natural resources for the development of the province,” Mr Malik pledged.

On this occasion, Mr Raisani said that Balochistan was a victim of an international great game. He emphasised the need to ensure the recovery of missing persons. He said that the interior minister had assured him that he would take up the issue with relevant authorities. “The interior minister has assured me that the federal government would make efforts to bring angry Baloch youth into mainstream,” he said.