NewsSaturday, March 15, 2008
President not to blame for growing terrorism: governor
* Khalid Maqbool says security forces fighting wave of terror designed to destabilise the country
* Law-enforcement agencies should act together to check terror actsBy Imran Asghar
RAWALPINDI: President Pervez Musharraf-led government’s policies over the last nine years have not caused upsurge in terror activities in the country, said Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool on Friday. “President Musharraf nor his policies can be held responsible for rising terror acts in the country. Instead, there’re many other factors, which have contributed to growing terrorism,” Maqbool told reporters here at Regional Police Office. Senior police officers including Regional Police Officer Akram Durrani and City Police Officer (CPO) Saud Aziz also turned up. The Punjab governor said security forces were active to thwart terrorist acts designed to destabilise the country. He said he didn’t rule out the possibility of the involvement of foreign hand in terrorism. He said the provincial government had provided the Punjab police’s different branches including Crime Investigation Department, Special Branch and Punjab Highway Patrolling Force all required weapons and facilities to fight terrorism, especially suicide bombings. He said growing incidents of suicide bombing could hamper economic development. Maqbool said joint efforts by the police and other law-enforcement agencies could check rising terror activities. He sought media and the nation to help the government in this respect. He praised Punjab Police for tracing perpetrators of many suicide bombings, especially that of Rawalpindi, which had killed PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto last year. The governor said that investigation into recent suicide attacks on FIA provincial headquarters and Naval War College in Lahore was underway and it would identify their perpetrators. He asked the Punjab police to focus on controlling suicide attacks.
Courtesy Daily Times