Govt working on holding talks with disgruntled Baloch leaders not associated with India: Fawad

• Fawad Chaudhry says govt will turn Balochistan into a "cradle of peace."
• Lauded security agencies for the timely arrest of culprits involved in Johar Town blast.
• Govt working on a national security policy, he says.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said that the government is working on holding talks with "disgruntled Baloch leaders who are not associated with India."

The statement came during a press conference that the minister held in Islamabad after a meeting of the federal cabinet with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair. The meeting discussed the overall political and economic situation of the country and took several decisions related to different aspects of governance. 

It should be recalled that a day earlier, PM Khan had said he was mulling over speaking to the insurgents in Balochistan, as the situation in the province had changed, and Pakistan was moving towards a better future.

The premier, addressing an event in Gwadar, had said the insurgents might be upset with the state due to some past grievances or India might have used them to spread terror in Pakistan.

In today's press briefing, Fawad said that Balochistan will soon be a "cradle of peace" in the country, adding that those involved in Lahore's Johar Town blast — who the government earlier said have links with India — have been arrested by authorities. 

"We have lauded our agencies for arresting the culprits within a short span of time," he said.

The minister said that ever since Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was found in Pakistan, intelligence agencies have also exposed a network of Indian-backed elements within the country. 

He said that owing to the government's timely measures and efforts, the situation of law and order in Pakistan will improve as compared to the past.

"It is the job of the government to create a national security policy, and the PTI is currently working on it," he said. "Progress related to the policy is already visible."

In response to a question, Fawad said that the government is working on a dossier related to India's involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan again and once the dossier is ready, it will be presented before the international community.

Fawad said that during the meeting of the cabinet, a discussion on the introduction of electronic voting was also held.

"Local companies will manufacture electronic voting machines by July 15," he said, adding that the decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms have been ratified as well.

The minister also shed light on different developmental works, including the construction of an international airport in Skardu. Meanwhile, he said that all-weather airports — equipped with facilities without operational weather limits — will be constructed in Gilgit and other areas of Gilgit-Baltistan to further boost tourism in the region. 

Fawad also briefed journalists about the accommodations that the government is planning to introduce for differently-abled individuals in aircraft, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan has issued special directives regarding that.

He also said that the premier has received a report that many governmental dignitaries are enjoying more protocol than necessary. 

In this regard, the premier has asked all government officials to reduce availing protocol-related privileges, he said.

Among other decisions, the government has also decided to turn the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) into a regulatory body, while in terms of technology, several areas of the merged districts (erstwhile FATA) will be facilitated with 3G and 4G cellular network service, he said. 

Answering a question, Fawad took a dig at the Opposition and said that during the regime of the PPP, the policy related to government jobs was "disastrous," adding that hundreds of people were recruited on governmental posts without merit.