element. People risk their money and life to cross borders illegally but all these elements who lure youths into this illegal practices will be taken to task and prosecuted strictly.
The minister also appreciated media role in taking human trafficking to task and vowed that all these elements will be taken to its logical end. Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan also said a meeting of the ambassadors of European Union will be called over this particular issue to devise SoP and policies of the EU relating Pakistan.
He said an EU delegation is arriving in Pakistan and would meet him on Monday to discuss the issues arising out of re-admission agreement between Pakistan and the Union.He said the European Union has been our development partner but there can’t be any compromise when it comes to issues concerning integrity of the country.
The minister vowed that he would raise voice for people of Pakistan and for fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan and being interior minister it is my responsibility to protect rights of Pakistanis.
Talking about arms licences issue, Nisar said the Interior Ministry has fixed December 31, 2015 as last date to verify all licences that were never verified. From January 1, 2016 all unverified licences will be consider cancelled.
While considering Exit Control List (ECL) satisfactory, the minister said that 9,000 people have been removed from ECL who were on the list for last many decades. The minister said that it is basic and constitutional right of every Pakistani to travel abroad and any investigative agency can’t deprive people of this right. A systematic mechanism have been devised to put people on ECL from now on. Now people will only be put on ECL with recommendation of NAB, FIA and court. The minister said that approximately 3,000 people are on the ECL now and their cases are in investigation process. He said the ECL as well as blacklisting of passports has been made institutionalised and no one can put anyone on the ECL for political or personal differences.
In past, the people on the ECL used to slip away from our airports with connivance of immigration officials but now all such elements will be taken to task for any sort of negligence.
Talking on INGOs issue, the minister said that a transparent procedure has been devised for registration of INGOs and this registration process has been shifted to the Interior Ministry from Economic Affairs Division on revelations of illegal operating of INGOs in Pakistan. Till yesterday 10 INGOs have submitted their applications for registration process and this entire issue has been made online in a systematic and transparent way.
Responding to a query, the minister said that reservations and concerns of overseas promoters will be addressed but illegal practices of overseas promoters will not be tolerated.
Responding to another query on incident of jeep incident at Wagah Border, the minister said that flag-meeting of Pakistan and Indian officials have been held and investigations from all angles are in process to identify how a drunken-Sikh reached zeroline of the border.
On question on Asghar Khan case, the minister clarified that he has never commented that ex-army generals were hindering the case, adding that he will soon brief the media on current status of investigations over that particular case soon.Commenting on ‘Hawala-Hundi’ case, the minister said that 63,000 people were affected in that multibillion scam and investigations are underway.