Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, on Friday, said that all provinces will be asked to review the list of the fourth schedule as no one can be deprived of citizenship and Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs), after being a Pakistani national.
Nisar expressed these views on Friday during a meeting with a delegation of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an umbrella of religious political parties at Punjab House.
The federal government has decided to reverse its earlier decision of blocking the national identity cards and passports of individuals suspected of links to militant, sectarian, or proscribed organisations and are included in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997.
“All those enlisted in the Fourth Schedule [of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997] are Pakistani nationals. How can they be denied their right to identification — CNIC?” he asked, according to a statement released by the ministry.
He made it clear on that citizenship of suspected terrorists included in the fourth schedule of the antiterrorism law could not be taken away.
The interior minister directed the departments concerned to reverse any such action in case it is found to have been taken.
The meeting took place a day after a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmakers indirectly accused Maulana Samiul Haq of planning to send students of his seminary to help the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Islamabad’s lockdown, in return for the grant received from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
The basic objective of the meeting was to discuss several issues being faced by the religious groups in the country. Nisar’s meeting with the DPC’s delegation, led by Maulana Samiul Haq, continued over two hours and issues related to the suspension of the Fourth Scheduler’s CNIC was also discussed.
The basic objective of the meeting was to discuss several issues being faced by the religious groups in the country. Nisar’s meeting with the DPC’s delegation, led by Maulana Samiul Haq, continued over two hours and issues related to the suspension of the Fourth Scheduler’s CNIC was also discussed.
The interior minister said religious forces had played a pivotal role for improvement of security situation across Pakistan and that the government will not allow targeting religious scholars and leaders.
Media reports suggest that the computerised national identity cards of over 2,000 fourth schedulers have been cancelled, but the interior ministry has neither confirmed nor denied the reports so far. Many wonders as to why the interior minister, with a reputation of taking swift notice and action over any thing which goes wrong in his ministry and its subordinate departments, did not take action against those responsible for taking such a big decision on their own.
The security situation of the country also came under discussion during the meeting. Members of the delegation assured the interior minister that they would always be at the forefront on any issue that related to Islam and Pakistan.
They said that the DPC appreciated the efforts aimed at improving the security situation in the country. They said that some elements were trying to target religious forces, adding that the government should take notice of such incidents.
The minister briefed the delegation on plans to update and digitise the list of fourth schedulers and said that all the provinces would be asked to review these lists.
Other members of the DPC delegation included Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat chief Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi and Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan leader Anas Noorani.
