ISLAMABAD: Commenting on Donald Trump's visa ban on seven Muslim countries, Interior Minister said this would only strengthen terrorists' agenda and harm innocent people.
Answering a question regarding visa restrictions imposed by United States on some Muslim countries, Chaudhary Nisar said it was wrong to link Islam with terrorism and added 1.5 billion Muslims live peacefully in the world, however, a handful of wayward people were negating the teachings of Islam.
An executive order signed by Trump on Friday suspended the arrival of all refugees for a minimum of 120 days, Syrian refugees indefinitely and bars citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.
He said the worst sufferers of terrorism were Muslims and they had given the most sacrifices against this scourge.
The minister observed that visa restrictions imposed by the US would not affect terrorists but cause difficulties for victims of terrorism.
Passport offices in every district:
Chaudhry Nisar said 14 more Executive Passport Offices would be set up in different parts of the country soon, in order to provide standard facilities to citizens.
At an inaugural ceremony of a state-of-the-art Executive Passport Office here at Blue Area, he said work was in progress on such Centres in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Gujranwala and these would be inaugurated by March this year.
He said with inauguration of this office in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the ministry had accomplished another milestone in establishing network of these modern offices for public facilitation.
He said the government was taking solid steps to provide modern facilities to the citizens and added work was also in progress on a scheme under which a passport office would be established in each district.
Ch. Nisar said by March this year each district in the country would have a passport office which would cater to needs of the local community.
He said during past 69 years only 94 passport offices were established but present government had started work on the scheme and 74 more such offices would be ready within next few months.
The minister said a number of NADRA mega offices will also become operational this year in all major cities.
Missing bloggers:
On another question, he said all the missing bloggers have returned to their homes safe and sound.
He said the steps taken by present government to recover missing persons had also been acknowledged by concerned families.
Dawn Leaks:
About Dawn leak issue, Ch. Nisar said he would be in a better position to comment as soon as the report is received, adding that the Commission investigating the matter still had time till February 7 to present its report.
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