Govt mulling army deployment in Quetta: report

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The federal government is considering army deployment in Quetta following strong demands by the Hazara Shia community in Balochistan.

The federal government is considering army deployment in Quetta following strong demands by the Hazara Shia community in Balochistan, a private TV channel reported late on Saturday night.

According to the report, the federal government was also considering removing the government of Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani, who is currently in London, and is being severely criticised for failing to improve the security situation in the militancy infested province.

According to the channel, Raisani spoke to Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi on telephone from London and it is likely that he will resign from his position in the coming 24 hours. However, a spokesman of the Balochistan government rejected the TV channel’s claims that Raisani would step down voluntarily or be forced out from his position.

The channel said that the government was consulting with its legal hawks over the modalities of army deployment in Quetta, and claimed that it was likely that Quetta Corps Commander General Alam Khattak would be given charge of the city, which has seen massive bloodshed in the last couple of years.

The channel said that Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was expected to make an announcement in this regard at any time.

Source: Pakistan Today