ISLAMABAD: Calling those planning to hold a march on Islamabad enemies of the country, Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Ahmed Shah has ruled out any threat to the government.

Talking to reporters after inaugurating the ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory) Police Facilitation Centre here on Tuesday, he said governments could not be removed by unjustified demands. He said the timing of chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s sit-in was inappropriate, while the situation during Imran Khan’s sit-in was entirely different.

The interior minister pointed out that Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code had been imposed in Islamabad’s Red Zone and made it clear that no one would be allowed to enter the area to launch a protest.

“I think Fazlur Rehman will not come to Islamabad on Oct 27,” he said.

He praised Imran Khan as first prime minister of Pakistan who talked about the ‘state of Madina’.

Before the commencement of cabinet meetings, he said, Imran Khan questioned every minister about the initiatives taken by their ministries for public welfare.

Says the Maulana will not come to Islamabad on 27th

Mr Shah lashed out at Nawaz Sharif, wondering what have people achieved by making him prime minister for three times.

Earlier inaugurating the special desk at Facilitation Centre for overseas Pakistanis, the minister lauded the efforts of the ICT police for setting up the centre on modern lines.

He said the government had set up special desk to resolve issues of overseas Pakistanis. The special counter would offer expatriates one-stop solution to their problems, including vehicle verification and provision of driving licences and a copy of the First Information Report lodged in any police station.

Four more citizen facilitation centres would be established in the federal capital to ensure speedy resolution of public issues through one-window solution, he added.

He said the Capital Development Authority and Islamabad police were taking several initiatives aimed at public facilitation and resolving their problems instantly.

In reply to a question, Mr Shah said the ICT police centre was recruiting more traffic personnel in Islamabad Traffic Police to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the capital’s roads.

He said the government was bringing reforms in seminaries and introducing the syllabus that would help them become a constructive part of society. “We are just adding the subjects like Maths, Science, English and History in the syllabus of madaris,” he replied to another question.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfikar Bukhari said the special desk for expats was set up at the facilitation centre to ensure swift resolution of the overseas Pakistanis’ issues. The initiative, he said, was taken by the Ministry of Overseas and Human Resource Development in collaboration with the ICT police.

He said the officials of Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) had been deputed at the special desk to establish a strong connectivity among the departments concerned for resolving expats’ complaints on fast-track. The move was part of the efforts made by the government to facilitate the expatriates, besides encouraging their investments in the real estate sector, he added.

Mr Bukhari said the ministry had also drafted rules for setting up fast-track courts in Islamabad that would help resolve the property disputes of overseas Pakistanis within months.

Briefing the participants, Inspector General of Islamabad Police Mohammad Amir Zulfiqar said that the citizen could take benefit from the established centres of 13 documents related to police departments. He said the counter established for overseas Pakistanis was first one of its kind where complaints of expatriates would be addressed along with perpetration of documents related to police departments.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2019