ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday said Internal Security Policy is ready and will be presented before the special Cabinet committee meeting on Monday for approval.

Talking to mediamen after the passing out parade of Assistant Superintendents of Police of the specialized training programme, he said the timeframe for the policy will be one year and Rs. 28 billion will be spent to further strengthen law-enforcement agencies.

To a question about talks with Taliban, the Minister said the government will welcome and support political leaders, if they are willing to take lead role in talks with Taliban or want to use their good offices in support of government efforts.

He said the government will hold talks with Taliban as mandated by the All Parties Conference (APC) and will also take the Parliament into confidence at some stage.

Those criticising the government, which is in power for only six months, did not take any initiative to hold talks with Taliban or carry out an operation to end militancy during the last 13 years, he noted.

The Minister said the government is taking practical steps to enhance security for people and build capacity of the law-enforcement agencies.

The government has given a sense of direction and its policies are meant for betterment of people and in the larger interest of the nation, he added

The Minister said due to wrong policies of the previous governments in the past decade, a foreign war was imposed on Pakistan, making the country an unsafe place.

Earlier, speaking at passing out parade of police officers, the Minister hoped that the officers will carry forward their distinction while performing duties in service of the state.

He said they should be conscious of the serious challenges facing the country, which is going through a critical phase.

The Minister said the police officers will be expected to go beyond their call of duty as the country is in a state of war.

"It is not an open and transparent war. It is war with an enemy which is playing hide and seek with the people and the law-enforcement agencies."

The police officers must be part of efforts to restore sanity in the country, he said.

He reminded the international community that after the vicious incident in New York in 2001, now most of the world is a safe place.

Despite the fact, that none of the alleged perpetrators originated from Pakistan, the country bore brunt of this war waged by foreign powers, he added.

He said the international community failed to understand the dire straits in which Pakistan was due to war in the region.

Pakistan gave sacrifice of its 26,000 people including women and children and law-enforcement personnel.

Chaudhry Nisar urged the police officers to support efforts to make Pakistan a place where there is peace and harmony, no sectarianism, extremism and terrorism and rule of law is prevalent.

The Minister called upon the officers to act as servants of the state and not the government and protect life, property and honour of people, help them in getting justice, never obey orders which are unlawful and earn their living honestly.

While handing over keys of a bomb disposal response vehicle to Inspector General Police Islamabad Sikandar Hayat, the Minister said the vehicles will save lives of bomb disposal squad personnel, many of whom were martyred in the past while defusing bombs with their hands.

The Minister assured that mediamen would be provided protection and he would soon be holding a meeting with representative media organizations on ways to save journalists from violence.

Director General Civil Defence Pakistan Air Vice Marshal (R) Aftab Hussain told that 65 bomb disposal vehicles will be imported from the United Kingdom and will be deployed in all parts of the country, adding 100 technicians had been trained for search and disposal of explosive material.

(APP)