ISLAMABAD: The Interior Minister, Sheikh Rashid, on Friday warned the opposition to adopt a middle way out, as the day Prime Minister Imran Khan emerged with a majority after Senate election, he will bring the toughest laws to tighten the noose around the corrupt and the money launderers.
"The day Imran Khan gets majority in the Senate, the opposition will literally cry as he is going to bring such laws after which the corrupt and money launderers will find no place to escape," he said, while talking to the media at the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) headquarters. He said that it would be better for the opposition to adopt a middle way.
He also said that he was seeing the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders' participation in the upcoming senate elections. "If they are not taking part in the senate election then what difference does it make to the PDM that elections of the upper house be held on February 12th or March 12th", he asked.
Rashid said that he challenged all legal experts that senate elections could be held on February 12. "I cannot say that senate election can be held through show of hands as it will be decided by the Supreme Court," he said. He said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) could announce senate election on any day between February 12 and March 12.
He also said that if opposition wanted to come to Islamabad then should come now because the weather was very good. He also made it clear that the extradition of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not possible as Pakistan had no extradition treaty with the United Kingdom (UK). We even cannot bring the former finance minister and senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and then how can we bring Sharif as we have no extradition treaty with the UK. "We have no extradition treaty with the British government, he (Sharif) will be back if Allah Almighty want him to be here," he said.
Government had given one-time permission to Sharif on November 14, 2019 to travel abroad for his medical treatment for a period of four weeks. However, Sharif has continued his stay in London, and has now also started addressing rallies of the PDM and his party's public meetings via video links. Sharif was also declared a proclaimed offender in Toshakhana case. Ishaq Dar had also been declared an absconder by the Accountability Court in assets beyond means case following his repeated absence from hearing of the case. He is also currently residing in London.
The interior minister said that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) headquarters would remain open on Sundays from this week onwards. As many as 50 new NADRA offices will be opened across the country and will work round-the-clock, he said, adding that the first Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) would be provided free of cost, and would be provided to the applicant within 15 days.
Rashid said that offices of the Immigration and Passport and the NADRA would be opened in all the embassies of Pakistan, which would be supervised by the NADRA, and supported by the Foreign Office. The number of NADRA mobile vans will be increased to 300 to facilitate the people residing in remote areas of the country, he said. The minister said that the government was making all out efforts to resolve issues of oversees Pakistanis.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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