ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting to discuss terrorism preventive measures during the upcoming elections 2018 was held here on Monday at NACTA Headquarters, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Minster for Interior Azam Khan, said a press release issued here.

The National Coordinator NACTA, Dr Suleman Khan warmly welcomed the minister and all other participants.

“Main objective of this conference is to review and coordinate our security efforts keeping in view of upcoming elections and security arrangements,” Dr Suleman Khan said while delivering his opening remarks.

He went on saying that electioneering is a long process and political parties and campaigners actively and energetically convince and persuade the masses for getting elected. It is a public activity involving masses. Despite security and intelligence based operations against the terrorists there are still intelligence reports about terrorist planning to execute their nefarious terrorist designs during the election campaigns to disturb peace and tranquillity and law and order during the election campaign, said a press release issued here.

Following were the main considerations of the meeting:

1. Briefing by Election Commission on security and safety measures was given to all the stakeholders.

2. All provincial Home departments presented their preventive measures planned for upcoming elections 2018.

3. Senior officers of police and other law enforcing agencies apprised the federal minister and participants of the meeting on various security measures.

4. NACTA in its comprehensive presentation, informed about threat alerts issued to the relevant authorities related to possible terrorist incidents during election 2018, targeting some of the political party leaders, and suggesting the prevention of such terrorist attacks.

Earlier, Azam Khan while expressing his views on country’s law and order situation said, “We should not fall victims of sectarian and religious controversial issues, which actually hinder peace efforts. We need an unbiased, across the board equal treatment against the miscreants; our action should be regardless of any party or any pressure group affiliations.”

The minister hoped that the vital installations, high risk infrastructure and terrorism prone areas of the country would not be compromised, while deploying police personals and other law enforcing forces on election duty.

The meeting was attended by senior officers of all provincial Home departments, senior police officers, Election Commission of Pakistan and various law enforcing agencies, among them were Brigadier Naeem (DG monitoring), Election Commission, Mohsin Butt (IG) Balochistan, Waqar Chohan (DIG), Security Islamabad, Liaquat Niaza (AIG) Islamabad, Fayyaz Dar, (RPO) Rawalpindi, M Suleman DG (CID), KP Police, Rafiq Mohammad, KP Home Department, Muhammad Ibrahim Mahesar Additiona Secretary, Sindh Home Department, Nasir Aftab, SSP Operations, CTD Sindh, Dr Shoaib Akbar, Special Secretary, Home Department, Punjab, Capt Zafar Iqbal Awan (retd), AS National Security Division, Prime Minister’s Office, Islamabad. Asif Rehman, Asistant Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad, Basharat Ahmed, Deputy Secretary, FATA Secretariat. Senior officers from NACTA, ISI and IB were also present in the meeting.—PR