ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Minister of State for Interior Muhammad Balig ur Rehman on Monday informed the Senate that government was serious to strengthen National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and additional funds would be provided to further expand its operations.
He was responding to resolution of Senator Mohammad Azam Khan Swati about provision of additional amount of Rs two billion to NACTA to facilitate its operations and fulfill the requirements of national security.
The minister said maintenance of the law and order and fight against terrorism was top priority of government, adding that formation of a Joint Intelligence Directorate would be a big step forward to further strengthen intelligence sharing process.
He said the present government had given a central role to NACTA and increased its funding from Rs 100 million to Rs 1.6 billion, adding that more additional funds would be given to NACTA.
Earlier, the House passed a resolution of Senator Col (retd) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi about exploring new markets abroad for Pakistani goods.
The House also adopted a resolution of Senators Nighat Mirza and Muhammad Ali Saif that the government should immediately ban the VIP protocol in the country in order to save the people from hardships due to protocol.
The Upper House of the Parliament also recommended that the government should take effective steps to improve the performance of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council.
Later the House was adjourned to meet again on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Source: APP
