The Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA), including the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) have arrested over 1,800 proclaimed offenders during first 100 days of their campaign against proclaimed offenders launched on the directives of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar.
At the same time, CNICs of 769 proclaimed offenders have been blocked and 1,139 passports have been blacklisted. Moreover, 581 bank accounts and 826 mobile have been identified which are being used by the proclaimed offenders.
This was informed during a briefing with the interior minister in chair at the Interior Ministry on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by the interior secretary, narcotics division secretary, interior special secretary, ICT Police IG, Immigration and Passport DG and senior officials of the Ministry and departments concerned.
The minister directed the police, FIA and ANF to speed up the campaign against the proclaimed offenders and final assessment and future policy against them should be put up by the end of July.
He observed that special focus should be laid on arresting the proclaimed offenders who are involved in heinous crimes, including murder, kidnapping for ransom, terrorism, drugs and human trafficking and vehicle theft and snatching.
The minister was further briefed that central databank of the proclaimed offenders has also been established in coordination with NADRA which would be shared with all the LEAs of the federal capital as well as provinces as per the directives of the interior minister.
The ICT Police IG, while briefing the minister about decade-wise number of proclaimed offenders, informed that a special software has been developed by the ICT Police to consolidate complete particulars of the offenders and the case histories which would help the LEAs to apprehend them.
The minister observed that there should be zero tolerance approach towards the arrest of proclaimed offenders and slackness on part of any official in this regard will not be tolerated.
The minister further directed the police IG to ensure that complete details of the criminals, including CNICs and addresses should be recorded while registering FIRs.
The minister also directed the interior secretary to coordinate with chief secretaries of the provinces to speed up digitalisation of land and property record in all the provinces. This, he said, would help the LEAs to trace those criminals who are holding properties out of their own districts.
The FIA official briefed the minister about the progress in various mega corruption cases and white collar crimes. He said that challans of various mega corruption cases, including the Axact case, AKD/Amtex scam, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution, Evacuee Trust Property Board and PSO cases have been completed and submitted before the courts of law.
The minister appreciated the FIA for completing successful inquiry into China-cutting case (amenity plots of KDA sold out and funds used for terrorism financing).
The interior minister was informed that the FIA, with coordination of the National Accountability Bureau, successfully apprehended two individuals and also recovered an amount of Rs 7.5 million from an accused on voluntary basis.
On Asghar Khan Case, the minister was informed that some issues are pending because of the ongoing review-petition of the case before the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP). The minister directed the FIA to submit an interim report in the case to the SCP.
The minister also directed the FIA to complete pending enquiries of major cases in a month’s time. He said that if there is a need, the ministry would engage special prosecutors to ensure that all these cases are followed properly in the courts.