By Amena Khokhar, KUNA,
Islamabad : Paramilitary troops have started withdrawing from two cities of the Southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan and the gap is being filled by police, a move to chase militant elements in the insurgency-stricken province.
The Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were seen vacating checkposts in Quetta, the provincial capital, Sunday evening, a police sources told KUNA. Similar, reports have also been received from Gwadar port city, the source said.
The move came after the federal government decided to withdraw and hand over the responsibility of managing the law and order to police in the two cities as the FC was no longer needed.
However, the source added, FC personnel will not be vacated from the gas-rich district of Sui and sensitive districts of Dera Bugti, Kohlu and Khazdar.
These districts are safe heavens for nationalist militants fighting for greater provincial autonomy since years.
The task of FC was to help local law enforcement in the maintenance of law and order situation and also border patrolling and anti-smuggling operations.
Lately, it has been increasingly used in military operations against nationalist militants in the province.
The FC force is unpopular in the province as it is not largely made up of troops from the region it patrols. It is viewed as a group of outsiders committing human rights violations.
Nationalist militants have been frequently targeting FC personnel and sensitive government installations, manned by them.