PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has formed a technical committee on law and order to control terrorism and asked the federal government to devise a formula for the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

Provincial senior ministers Inayatullah Khan and Shahram Khan and Minister for Elementary Education Mohammad Atif, Minister for Information Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani and Home and Tribal Affairs Secretary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah will be members of the newly formed committee.

According to a statement issued by the home department here on Sunday, provincial police officer and secretaries of health, education, local government and planning and development departments will be co-opted members of the body.

The committee, approved by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, would act as a think-tank to the government, assess current security situation and prepare robust strat-egy for peace building and countering extremism.

Meanwhile, the provincial government has urged the federal government to change the timeframe for repatriation of Afghan refugees and ensure sending them to Afghanistan at the earliest.

Talking to journalists here on Sunday, the chief minister said that provincial government could not wait for another year and wanted the joint action working committee of the federal government to incorporate theissueinits declarationto ensure return of the Afghans at the earliest.

`The cabinet of provincial government has unanimously agreed on sending Afghan refugees back to their country because they are not only a burden on our economy but have also caused increase in heinous crimes,` Mr Khattak said. He added that presence of Afghans might cause other deadly incidents in the country.

The chief minister said that at least two millions Afghans were residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that he presented details to theparticipants ofthe recentlyheld all parties conference and then it was responsibility of federal government to take action in that regard.

He said that provincial govern-ment could not arrange security for each and every street because the security system depended on internal and foreign policy of the government.

`We demand of the federal government to include the issue of Afghan refugees in the national action plan because they are playing the role of facilitator in the terrorism incidents sponsored from across the border. They cannot be given more time in the province, Mr Khattak said.

About the current situation, the chief minister said that the entire nation, political parties, federal and provincial governments and security forces were on the same page against terrorism to save the country from such terrible incidents, which happened in Peshawar on Dec 16.

The province, he said, was affected the most in the war against terrorism.

Its main factor was Afghan refugees, he said, adding that police and Elite Force were fighting well against terrorists and the sacrifices of the law enforcers were on record.

Mr Khattak said that after 9/11, the United States also formed its national policy and secured its people and country.

`Our country is yet to devise anational counter terrorism policy, he said and added that the provincial government was ready to extend full cooperation to all departments for security of the nation and the country.

Meanwhile, police rounded up more than 70 suspected persons during raids in different areas of the provincial metropolis to arrest the people involved in the Army Public School attack.

According to an official, the arrested persons included some Afghan nationals. The official said that the raids were conducted in Bihari Colony, Abshaar Colony, Kababyan, Tehkal, Palosal, Regi and adjacentlocalities.

D uring the raids, police were also accompanied by women personnel and sniffer dogs.

Police continued to checl< vehicles and pedestrians in the limits of different police stations. The motorists and pedestrians were allowed to proceed after checking of their identity cards.

The source said that the personnel of different secret agencies were instructed to step up their efforts for covering each and every event and collect information about activities of anti-social and antistate elements through their informers so that timely action could be taken against them.