17,562 cases registered, 19,289 persons held under NAP

ISLAMABAD: The law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) have registered 17,562 cases and nabbed 19,289 persons to counter hate speech, extremist literature and misuse of loudspeaker as part of measures adopted under the National Action Plan (NAP).

The agencies concerned also sealed 70 shops and confiscated 5,141 equipment. According to data, issued by the interior ministry on Sunday, a total of 1,335 cases had been registered and 2,465 persons arrested for hate speech and spreading extremist literature. Some 16,267 cases were registered for misusing loudspeaker and 16,824 persons arrested in this regard.

The authorities also blocked 937 uniform resource locators (URLs) and 10 websites of proscribed organisations for misusing internet and social media. The official data show there are 64 proscribed organisations in the country, three are under surveillance, 8,309 persons are on 4th schedule ATA and the number of movement restrictions stood at 2,052. 

Provincial governments undertook geomapping of madrasas, and the work completed in this regard includes Punjab and Sindh 100 per cent, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 75 per cent, Balochistan 60 per cent and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) 85 per cent. The provincial governments closed suspected madrasas including two in Punjab, 2,311 in Sindh, 13 in KP and one in Balochistan.

The data said the Karachi operation had achieved significant success by reduction in crime rates which included 90 per cent decrease in terrorism, 91 per cent decline in target killings, 62 per cent in murders and 48 per cent in robberies.

Around 33,378 weapons were also recovered during the ongoing operation. The data said the Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF) was also established and their strength included 500 in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 1,182 in Punjab, 728 in Sindh, 1,000 in Balochistan, 2,200 in KP, 168 in Gilgit and 260 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Total number of 414 convicted terrorists were executed under the ATA/ PPC. Eleven Special Trial Courts were notified and 190 cases had been transferred to them. About ending the sectarian terrorism, it was revealed that 70 incidents of sectarian terrorism were recorded during 2011, 185 in 2012, 127 in 2013, 176 in 2014, 79 in 2015 and 34 during 2016. 

The data revealed that a total 681 Hawala/ Hundi cases were registered, of which 201 were under investigation and 345 under trial while 102 accused were convicted and 33 were acquitted. The recovered amount was Rs 886 million and 931 persons were arrested.

Moreover, the data showed that total 283 anti-money-laundering cases were registered of which 136 were under investigation and 147 under trial. The number of arrests was 414. Under the suspicious transaction reports (STRs), the data revealed that 148 were received from financial monitoring unit, of which 32 were converted into cases, 14 were closed and 102 were under inquiry.