ISLAMABAD: A decisive operation will be launched against banned sectarian outfits if they do not refrain from carrying out terrorist attacks in the country, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Wednesday.
Malik made these comments at a joint-press briefing along with Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira after a special meeting of the federal cabinet, which was chaired by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Responsible for attacks: Malik claimed that the defunct Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were behind 90 percent of the terrorist attacks in Punjab.
"They are operating on the instructions of their foreign masters with the ulterior motive to destabilise Pakistan," he said.
"We are fighting an ideological war and we have to unite to defeat these anti-state elements," the minister said, adding that these elements had tried to create sectarian and ethnic strife.
The cabinet meeting was attended by the chief ministers of all four provinces, their secretaries, the inspector generals, the chief of general staff, the AJK PM and the Gilgit-Baltistan governor besides the federal and state ministers. The meeting reviewed the law and order situation in the country and decided that the federal government would provide all possible technical and financial resources to provinces to deal with the unabated wave of terrorism in the country.
It also decided to enhance cooperation between the federal government and provinces over 'intelligence sharing' and the training of law enforcement agencies to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country.
The PM directed Malik to carry out a 'comprehensive exercise' to assess the financial and equipment requirements of law enforcement agencies in consultation with the provincial governments and ministry of finance and come up with recommendations.
Speaking at the press briefing, Kaira informed reporters that the cabinet meeting discussed the draft of the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) Law, and decided to consider the VAT Law as an 'important part' of efforts to rescue the country's crisis-hit economy and to expand its 'resource base'.
Article Source : http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\03\18\story_18-3-2010_pg7_12
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