Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said he would soon visit Peshawar and Quetta to hold detailed meetings with traders and provincial authorities aimed at finding lasting solutions to the business community’s security-related concerns, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior on X.
The assurance came during a meeting with a delegation of traders and industrialists from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan, including representatives of chambers of commerce from both provinces.
وفاقی وزیر داخلہ محسن نقوی سے خیبر پختونخوا اور بلوچستان کے تاجروں اور صنعتکاروں کی ملاقات
خیبر پختونخوا اور بلوچستان کے تمام چیمبرز آف کامرس نے اپنے صوبوں کی موجودہ سیکورٹی صورتحال اور درپیش مسائل سے آگاہ کیا pic.twitter.com/VeR53QhZoM
— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) July 31, 2026
According to the statement, the business leaders briefed the interior minister on the prevailing security situation in their provinces and the challenges affecting trade and industry.
Naqvi, in turn, updated the delegation on the overall security situation in the country, particularly in K-P and Balochistan, as well as the government’s ongoing measures to improve law and order.
He assured the delegation of the government’s full support, saying all available resources would be utilised to address the problems faced by traders and industrialists and to ensure their protection.
The interior minister said his planned visits to Peshawar and Quetta would include meetings with senior provincial government officials and representatives of the business community to work out practical and sustainable solutions to their concerns.
Naqvi said providing a safe and business-friendly environment remained a government priority, adding that the private sector played a vital role in strengthening Pakistan’s economy.
“The progress of the business community is the progress of Pakistan,” he said, assuring traders that the government stood by them and would resolve all their legitimate concerns.
Read: Festering Afghan crisis
Naqvi held a similar meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari a day earlier, reviewing the country’s overall law and order situation, with particular focus on the security situation in K-P and Balochistan in a meeting held at Bilawal House. The meeting also featured a detailed exchange of views on the country’s prevailing political situation, besides discussions on other matters of mutual national interest.
Terrorism has significantly increased in Pakistan, particularly in K-P and Balochistan, in recent weeks. The rise in terrorist activity has led to growing concerns over the security situation in these regions. In response, security forces have been conducting intensive operations to counter the threat, targeting terrorist groups.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in a report released in February also drew attention to a series of attacks by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) against Pakistani security forces and projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). According to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Pakistan has recorded 560 civilian deaths in more than 2,000 terror incidents this year.
It must be remembered that multi-billion-dollar projects such as CASA-1000, TAPI, the BRI and several transnational railway initiatives remain in limbo owing to the instability in Afghanistan. This has squarely hampered the progression of geo-economics for a combined populace of around two billion people.
Also yesterday, six labourers abducted from the Kalatak area of Balochistan’s Kech district two days ago were found dead in Nasirabad. The labourers were on their way to a worksite when armed men intercepted them in the Kalatak area. Four of the labourers were from Punjab and two from K-P.
The attack once again highlighted security concerns faced by labourers and other civilians travelling to remote areas of Balochistan for employment. The recovery of the bodies has also raised concerns among families of workers who travel to the province from other parts of the country in search of livelihoods.
The incident comes amid a spate of attacks across Balochistan in recent weeks. On Tuesday, three people, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Murid Bugti, were killed in Barkhan district.
The same night, armed men blocked the N-40 highway at Padag in Chagai district, opened fire near a roadside hotel, injured a truck driver, and set five trailers and two gas bowsers ablaze.
Read More: Six abducted labourers found dead in Balochistan’s Kech
The violence followed another high-profile attack on July 23, when District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar and his security guard were killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle on the national highway in Mastung. Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari and another passenger were seriously injured in the attack.
Earlier, on July 12, five labourers from Punjab were shot dead in Mashkail, Washuk district. According to Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, the victims were working at local shops when unidentified armed men stormed the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing all five before fleeing.
On July 13, two police officers were killed and two others injured when a suspected remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) struck a police armoured personnel carrier during a routine patrol on the Wana-Jandola Road in K-P’s Tank district.
On July 3, unidentified attackers carried out two separate acts of sabotage in Bannu district, targeting a government girls’ middle school and a key link bridge.
Explosives planted inside the Government Girls Middle School in Mama Khel damaged parts of the building, cracking classroom walls and shattering windows and doors.
In a separate incident in the Bachki area of Jani Khel, terrorists planted a drum filled with explosives beneath an important bridge, apparently attempting to disrupt transport links. Security forces and the Bomb Disposal Unit defused the device before it could cause damage. On June 20, at least seven people were killed when a passenger vehicle was targeted in an IED attack in the region.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneWeb DeskRead More