Better late than never: Nisar wants new safety

audit for minorities

ISLAMABAD: 
In the wake of increasing attacks against minorities, the country’s security czar
has directed all provinces to come up with rigorous safety plans incorporating
intelligence surveillance for the security of minority communities.

“Protecting our minorities should be your utmost priority,” Interior Minister

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed the provincial police chiefs on Thursday while
chairing an important meeting in Islamabad to discuss multiple security issues.

He ordered all provincial home departments to conduct a security audit of the

minority communities, including Hindus, Christians, Ismailis, Sikhs and
Bohras, by establishing new intelligence surveillance systems and prepare a
special security plan within a week.

The interior minister asked the provinces to train and equip law enforcement
personnel to protect the minorities’ places of worship also and enhance police
patrolling at their gatherings. “Special surveillance of minorities’ worship places
should be carried out by intelligence agencies,” he said tasking the civilian
intelligence agency – Intelligence Bureau – with the job.

The interior ministry will be given weekly briefings by provincial home

departments on the security monitoring of non-Muslims.

He even suggested issuing weapons licences to the minority community

members for their better security. Currently there is a ban on issuance of new
Better late than never: Nisar wants new safety
audit for minorities
arms licences as a new policy is being formulated at the federal level to control
proliferation of guns in the country.

“We want to introduce a new mechanism for arms licences for controlling guns
in the country,” Chaudhry Nisar commented. “We are in a war-like situation.
We cannot afford free flow of weapons.”

On the issue of placing people on the Exit Control List (ECL), the interior
minister directed the agencies, departments and organisations concerned to
justify their stance on enlisting thousands of people.

Names of more than 7,500 people are placed on the ECL while hundreds of
them have been on this list since 1996-97. The government is reviewing the laws
related to banning people from going abroad.

About the people blacklisted, Immigration and Passports Director General

Usman Bajwa told the minister that around 12,000 passports had been
blacklisted.

On the suspension of prisoner exchange agreements with other countries, the

interior minister admitted that thousands of Pakistani nationals were jailed in
different countries but questioned whether the authorities had the space to
accommodate these prisoners in the country’s jails.

Interior Secretary Shahid Khan said some parameters to bring these prisoners
back on humanitarian basis could be devised by restoring these agreements.
“Many people are innocent but languishing in foreign jails,” he claimed.

The interior minister directed his subordinates to prepare some

recommendations whereby elderly, innocent and other cases could be
considered under the said agreement.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22 nd, 2015.

Better late than never: Nisar wants new safety
audit for minorities