ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for enhanced coordination among the federal and provincial institutions to wipe out terrorism from the country.

“Terrorists and militants will never be able to deter the nation’s resolve,” he said while presiding over a review meeting to discuss the security situation on Friday. “No sacrifice would be evaded for the security of the homeland.”

The meeting was held at a time when thousands of people took to the streets in Wana, South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday against what they said was unrest, target killings, extortion, and kidnapping in Waziristan. They have put forward ten demands in front of the government and warned that the protest would turn into a sit-in if demands were not met.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Advisor Ahad Cheema and heads of the law enforcement agencies and provincial chief secretaries, and IGPs attended the meeting.

He directed the interior minister, interior secretary, and national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) to hold consultation with the provinces and submit a report. The premier also instructed the provincial apex committees to hold their meetings regularly and enhance their coordination with the provinces.

Sanuallah and the interior secretary briefed the members of the committee on the overall security situation. The four chief secretaries and inspectors general of police briefed the members about the situation in their respective provinces as well as the measures being taken for security.

The interior minister and the IG Islamabad thanked the prime minister for increasing the salaries of the federal capital police and ration allowance of the FC at par with other forces. “The morale of Islamabad Police is high,” he said.

PM Shehbaz directed the NACTA national coordinator to further enhance the coordination with the counter-terrorism departments and law enforcement agencies in the province.

Energy conservation

PM Shehbaz has appealed to the business community to support the government’s recently announced energy conservation plan to ensure the judicious use of national resources and reduce the import bill.

“I appeal to the business community to extend their support to the government (for energy conservation). This will reduce the oil import and bring down the dollar rate which would later be spent on the country’s progress including agriculture and medicine,” the prime minister said while addressing a ceremony for the establishment of Hazara Electric Company here.

Covering a total area of over 16,774 square kilometers, the new company would cater to the needs of around 726,000 consumers across Haripur, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Battagram, Torgarh, Kohistan Upper, Kohistan Lower and Kolai Plus.

The prime minister said that any difficulty faced by a nation necessitated collective action and expressed the hope that the traders from across the country would take part in this “jihad” to save the national resources.