QUETTA, Feb 28: President Asif Ali Zardari vowed on Thursday to continue the fight against militancy and sectarianism till every enemy of the country was defeated and elements involved in the killing of innocent people in Balochistan were brought to book.

Speaking at meetings with parliamentarians, religious leaders and a delegation of the Hazara community, the president called upon them to augment efforts of the government for defeating the enemy of the state and country.

He said the fight might be hard and long, but the government would fulfil its commitment to curb militancy and sectarianism with an iron hand.

The Presidency’s spokesman, Senator Farhatullah Babar, said the president held a series of meetings with different delegations.

At the first meeting, Mr Zardari discussed with parliamentarians belonging to various political parties the overall situation in Balochistan, with a special reference to efforts being made by the government to bring people into the national mainstream and improving their socio-economic conditions and the law and order situation.

Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Mir Changez Jamali, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain, former deputy chairman of the Senate Mir Jan Jamali, Senators and parliamentarians belonging to Balochistan attended the meeting.

The president reiterated the commitment of the government to make Pakistan, particularly Balochistan, prosperous. He said Gwadar port was a mega project that promised great benefits to the people of the area. The project had been handed over to China in order to speed up its development and enable the people to reap its dividends at the earliest.

Mr Babar said the meeting also discussed the political situation in the province.

During a meeting with the ulema representing various schools of thought, the president called upon them to strengthen efforts of law enforcement agencies in bringing to justice those who misused the name of Islam. “Islam is a religion of peace which enjoins upon its followers to thwart attempts to victimise vulnerable sections of society.”

He stressed the need to collectively fight against the forces that “breed hatred and promote militancy and sectarian killings”.

Governor Zulfiqar Magsi, Maulana Abdullah Khilji, Abdul Qudoos Sasoli, Maulana Shehzad Attari, Mufti Ghulam Mohammad, Allama Mohammad Jumma Asadi, Allama Sheikh Ghulam Mehdi Najafi, Allama Maqsood Ali Domki, Allama Mohammad Hashim Mosoli were among others who attended the meeting.

During a meeting with a delegation of the Hazara community headed by MPA Dr Ruqayya Saeed Hashmi, the president expressed sympathies over the loss of lives at the hands of extremists and fanatics.

Syed Ashraf Zaidi, Abdul Khaliq Hazara, Advocate M. Tahir, Sardar Saadat Ali Hazara, Nadir Ali and Younas Changezi also attended the meeting.

He reassured them that the government would take every step to bring the culprits involved in the attack on the Hazara community to justice.

He said the federal government was providing every support to the provincial government in investigating the heinous incidents.

The president asked the governor to personally monitor and ensure that the injured were being provided the best medical assistance and that the bereaved families were provided relief.

The representatives of the Hazara community thanked the president for sharing grief and sorrow of the bereaved families and assured him of their cooperation in maintaining law and order in Balochistan.

Later, the president presided over a meeting on law and order. It was attended by Governor Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad, the home secretary, IGP, IG FC and the commissioner of Quetta.

Mr Zardari was apprised of the situation and measures being taken to beef up security.

The meeting was informed that security arrangements in and around Quetta had been beefed up and the FC had been given the powers of police under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

A special task force has been constituted to deal with serious crimes, including target killings, sectarian attacks and kidnappings for ransom. Various other measures such as a ban on display of arms and tinted glasses and a campaign against unregistered vehicles were also being taken to control the situation in the city.

Emphasising the need for capacity enhancement of law enforcement personnel to deal with emergency situations, the president assured of the federal government’s support to strengthen law enforcement agencies in the province. He called for taking legislative measures so that witnesses could be provided protection.