Pakistan has spent around Rs 320 billion for maintaining the state of law and order during the last four years.
According to details, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gigit-Baltistan and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) spent Rs 160 billion, Rs 92 billion, Rs 50 billion, Rs 4 billion and Rs 13 billion respectively to counter terrorist activities.
Punjab spent Rs 47 billion in 2009-10, significantly greater than the spending in previous years. Similarly, Sindh spent Rs 16 billion in 2007-08, Rs 22 billion in 2008-09, Rs 23 billion in 2009-10 and Rs 30 billion in 2010-11. Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, the most affected province from terrorism in the country, spent Rs 6.5 billion, Rs 8.5 billion, Rs 18 billion and Rs 17 billion in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively.
The government has also spent massively in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), which was also jolted by incidents of terrorism during the period. A break up of the total amount shows that Rs 2 billion, Rs 2.2 billion, Rs 3.8 billion and Rs 4.2 billion was spent in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively.
A senior official told APP that controlling the state of law and order in the country including Karachi was the government’s top priority and it would try its best to fulfill this objective.
He said activists from various banned organisations, who had been placed on the fourth Schedule of ATA, were being closely monitored.
The official said advance information in the shape of Special Information Reports (SIRs) was being issued regularly, indicating trends and future plans of banned organisations. To a question regarding steps taken to control the security position in Karachi and other parts of the province, he said Rs 5 billion had been approved by President Asif Ali Zardari to accommodate an increase in police strength and provision of latest equipments. He said further that enough deployment of police force had also been ensured at most sensitive places to eliminate criminal activity.
