PESHAWAR, Oct 18: Condemning the killing of provincial Law Minster Sardar Israrullah Khan Gandapur, the Khyber Palchtunkhwa government on Thursday approved the formation of a special anti-terrorism force to control the law and order situation in the province.

The development came during a special meeting of the provincial cabinet here with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair.

Mr Gandapur was killed in a suicide bombing at his house in Kulachi tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan district on Eid day (Wednesday) when he was meeting the local residents.

While approving the formation of the special anti-terrorism force, the cabinet said the force would be headed by a DIG to be responsible for operations, interrogation and intelligence as well, according to a handout issued here.

It also approved increase in police strength and urged the centre to return the Frontier Constabulary`s platoons to the province from across the country for deployment at sensitive places ofsettled and borderareas tofight terrorism.

The cabinet asked the FC chief to deploy the force at public places to ensure protection of public life and property.

It also ordered the monitoring of all Afghan refugees living in the capital city and deportation of those involved in criminal activities.

The relevant quarters were asked to install closed-circuit television cameras at checkposts in urban areas to check performance of law-enforcement personnel and monitor movement of suspected people.

The cabinet also issued directions to police to ensure that property dealers produce dataof tenants living in rented houses in the city within two weeks and keep liaison with local police about new tenants to detect terrorists and criminal elements.It directed the provincial police chief to ensure strict action against extortionists and kidnappers and hold the relevant SHOs accountable in case of any incident in their respective areas.

Earlier, participants offered fateha for the minister, condemned the suicide attack as cowardly act, sympathised with the bereaved families and expressed the resolve to bring those sabotaging peace efforts to justice.

They also approved the three-day mourning in the province over the colleague`s killing and inquiry into it.

The cabinet expressed grave concern over the growing incidents of terrorism and urged the federal government to avoid unnecessary delay in the holding of dialogue with the Taliban for early restoration of durable peace, and said the actual sufferer of terrorism was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

`The federal government should expose all those conspiring against peace process,` it said.

The provincial cabinet also urged the federal government to play a serious role without delay to ensure end to the US drone attacks in tribal areas. At the same time, it wanted Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to stop bomb attacks against the people.

`There should be structured and formal talks for restoration of peace,` it said.

The meeting was attended by ministers Sirajul Haq, Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao, Shah Farman Khan, Shahram Tarakai, Shaukat Yousufzai, Yousaf Ayub, Atif Khan and Habibur Rehman, advisers to the chief minister Yaseen Khalil, Ziaullah Afridi and Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Chief Secretary Arbab Shahzad, Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani and other relevant officials.