RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday said that there was a need to enact separate laws to deal with outfits proscribed on sectarian lines.
While talking to media representatives at Kallar Syedan in Rawalpindi, the minister regretted the criticism made on his statement in the Senate regarding the sectarian outfits, and maintained that there was a difference between the organizations proscribed on sectarian lines and the terrorist outfits.
Last Tuesday, Nisar said while briefing the Senate that banned sectarian organisations could not be equated with other banned terrorist organisations, sparking a strong criticism from the opposition.
His remarks in the House were meant to justify his meeting with the Chief of banned sectarian outfit Ahle-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Maulana Ahmed Ludhianivi. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had voiced strong objection to the meeting.
The interior minister said in Kallar Syedan that it was unfair to link everything to Maulana Ahmad Ludhianivi.
Chaudhry Nisar further said that there was no room for the proscribed terrorist outfits in the country. He said that either the elements of these outfits were eliminated in the operation or their cases were before the courts.
Responding to a question about the extension of military courts, the interior minister said that the government and the opposition parties had held a meeting on the matter. He said that the aim was to establish such a system which ensured speedy trial of the terrorists.
To a question about the missing persons, the interior minister said that our effort was to recover the missing persons at the earliest. He said that matters in this regard were moving forward but he cautioned that controversy should have not been created on the issue.
Talking about the investigation of DAWN’s Story, the interior minister said that the probe committee was expected to furnish its report to the government in the next few days.
