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Today's Paper | November 23, 2024

Updated 15 Nov, 2017 10:49pm

National Security Committee decides to increase development resources for Balochistan

The National Security Committee (NSC), which met on Wednesday, has condemned recent attacks on a Pakistan Army post in Bajaur Agency and police officials in Quetta, while also expressing concerns over the "activities of hostile intelligence agencies trying to destabilise Pakistan".

The committee, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, discussed the security situation in Balochistan at length on Wednesday and appreciated the significant improvement brought by the security forces in the province.

The committee also affirmed that the federal government will increase its collaboration with the Balochistan government for rapid socio-economic development of the province.

The meeting also developed a consensus on providing increased development resources to the province and adopting a cooperative implementation mechanism for development projects to ensure greater efficiency and transparency.

It was attended by the Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, heads of the three armed forces, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Gen Zubair Mehmood Hayat and other members of the civil and armed forces.

It affirmed that the benefits of increased development funding should flow directly to the Baloch people at the very grassroots level.

The committee was informed that concrete measures are being taken to improve border management to deny the movement of foreign miscreants and criminals into Balochistan.

The federal government was following a policy of allocating its best civil servants to Balochistan to improve administrative efficiency in the province, the committee was briefed.

The foreign secretary also briefed the meeting on the latest developments in the regional security situation, with a focus on the events rapidly unfolding in the Middle East.

The meeting unanimously agreed that it was of critical importance for Pakistan to play a proactive role in the best interest of the Islamic world, while firmly adhering to its bilateral commitments.

While reviewing the progress made with respect to Pakistan’s commitment under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) framework, the committee observed that Pakistan needed to convey its position and achievements comprehensively and clearly to the FATF.

The NSC also reviewed the status of regional gas and oil pipelines under consideration from the perspective of strengthening Pakistan’s energy security, and agreed that Pakistan should take advantage of the available opportunities.

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