- Nisar says govt to ensure nobody enters without proper visa, security clearance; Interior minister invites Zardari to address public meeting in his native village Chakri; ‘Sharjeel Memon should face court over his involvement in Rs 5 billion corruption’
Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday said that the government was putting in place a system to ensure that nobody entered Pakistan without proper visa and security clearance.
Addressing a press conference here, he said that nobody could enter Pakistan without proper documentation under the new online system. In the past, visas were issued without taking any responsibility which was a matter of grave concern, he said.
Nisar recalled that as leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, he repeatedly raised the issue on floor of the House and pointed out that many foreigners were entering Pakistan and getting visas without any security clearance.
Many persons were arrested on check points in Islamabad, Lahore and other cities but they were later released, he told the journalists. He said it was in his notice that at that time many people were allowed to enter Pakistan without visas.
The interior minister of the past government never responded to the issues raised by him, he reminded. At that time, he said he stated local administration did not know who lived in about 300-400 houses in Islamabad as the tenants were reluctant to give their identity details.
But when the district administration issued deadline, all the tenants provided required information. He said that when their government came to office, a notification by the former prime minister came to his knowledge, according to which an ambassador was allowed to issue visas without any clearance from the security agencies.
“I cancelled the notification in 2014 and put in place a system to stop issuance of visas to foreigners without any security clearance. I can say with confidence that malpractices in visa system have been stopped,” he said. He said that fines of Rs 90 million were imposed on the airlines for bringing in passengers from abroad without documentation. These passengers were sent out of Pakistan on the next flight, he said.
With online system for issuance of visas, if a person would even apply for visa, his record would be available to the ministry concerned as well as security departments, he explained. “With a push of the button, we will know who is coming to Pakistan,” he said. The minister said that the Immigration Department would be separated from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and in principle, the prime minister has given approval for the introduction of the new system.
Nisar said that diplomats and others were now given visas only after security clearance. The diplomats were being issued visas after proper checks. Similarly, he said that the visas were being given after security clearance so that no intelligence or security official could enter Pakistan in guise of a diplomat, he mentioned.
Now visas fees were being charged on reciprocal basis in line with the fees charged by other countries, he said. He also said that action could not be taken about past acts as no record of persons who were given visas, was kept by the Interior Ministry of the past government.
The minister said that he had instructed the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to prepare a database of those applying for visas. In only one instance, he allowed a woman to return to Pakistan as she was taken to India by her Muslim husband and later abandoned, he said.
The woman was suffering in jail for the last six years along with her child and did not have any documentation but she was allowed to enter Pakistan on compassionate grounds, he said. To a question, he also said that posting of blasphemous material on the social media was going on for a long time.
Nisar said that he recently arranged a meeting of envoys from Islamic countries on the issue of blasphemy on social media. There was complete consensus among the diplomats that united voice should be raised on issue of blasphemy, he said. He said that Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi have written a letter to the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) respectively which would take up the matter in their next meetings.
He said that Facebook responded positively to the government on issue of blasphemy. The Facebook management wrote to the government that it took the issue seriously and it would send its delegation soon, he said, adding that in the last few months, 62 websites carrying blasphemous material had been blocked. Of the total, 45 websites had been blocked during the last few days.
The minister said that Pakistani envoys would raise the issue with the US government and Justice Department and United Nations. Such blasphemous content could not be termed as freedom of expression, he said. To a question, Nisar said that steps would be taken for welfare of the labourers of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories.
He said that he would welcome PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari if he comes to address a public meeting in his native village Chakri. “I have nothing personal against Asif Zardari but have serious difference of opinion with him,” he said. He said that former Sindh minister Sharjeel Memon remained missing for two years and did not bother to respond to court notices.
“He (Sharjeel) is involved in Rs 5 billion corruption and should face court of law,” he said. Replying to another question regarding the Constitution Avenue matter, the minister said that a committee, to be formed after approval of the prime minister and the cabinet, would approach victims and ascertain their credibility. Each and every penny of the genuine victim would be returned, he added.
