Quetta: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said incidents like the Mastung tragedy are tactics by enemies to weaken Pakistan.

He was presiding over a high-level meeting on law and order situation in Balochistan in the backdrop of recent Mastung incident.

Unidentified gunmen had stormed two passenger coaches in Mastung and killed at least 22 people on Friday. The buses were en route to the port city of Karachi when they were stormed in Mastung district in the troubled province of Balochistan.

He directed the immediate arrest of the perpetrators of the incident and bring them to justice.

He said Pakistan’s enemies are not happy with the country’s progress and development and want to weaken it through such incidents.

He said that operation Zarb-e-Azb going on successfully in North Waziristan would continue until the elimination of the last terrorist.

Earlier, the chief secretary of Balochistan briefed the meeting on the law and order situation in the province in general and the Mastung incident in particular.

On this occasion, the meeting offered prayers for the departed souls of Mastung victims.

The meeting was attended by Balochistan Governor Mohammad Khan Achakzai, Chief Minister Abdul Malek Baloch, Federal Minister for Interior, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Minister for SAFRON Abdul Qadir Baloch, Minister of State for Petroleum Jam Kamal, Balochistan Minister for Mines Sanaullah Zehri, provincial ministers and the province’s inspector-general of police.

Later, addressing the provincial political leadership, Sharif emphasised the need for forging national unity to foil the nefarious designs of internal and external enemies against the country.

He said the enemy is using different tactics to divide the nation on sectarian and ethnic grounds but we will thwart their designs with unity.

Addressing the provincial political leadership in Quetta on Tuesday, describing the Mastung incident as a tragedy, the Prime Minister appreciated the responsible posture adopted by the political leadership of the province in the wake of the incident. Some internal or external elements might be behind this horrific incident.

Nawaz Sharif regretted the Indian statement against Pakistan-China economic corridor project. He said the statement has clearly exposed the Indian designs of hegemony.

He appreciated China for rejecting the baseless reservations of India on the mega project. He said opponents of the corridor project exist both within and outside the country and Pakistan will have to take extra ordinary measures to confront them. He said the mega Chinese investment of $46 billion (Dh168 billion) will bring a genuine change in the country.

On the situation in Balochistan, Nawaz Sharif said overall law and order situation has improved in the province since the assumption of power by the government. He said we are committed to bring further improvement in the situation. Normality will be restored in the province including Quetta at all costs.