ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Thursday said that it would be a revolution in Pakistan’s election history, if the Supreme Court of Pakistan decided in favour of holding elections of the upper house of the parliament through show of hands.
Talking to media persons at Police Line Headquarters, Rashid said that holding Senate elections through show of hands and not by a secrete ballot would ensure transparency and eliminate rigging.
“The credit of holding Senate election through show of hands would go to Prime Minister Imran Khan,” he said.
To a question that British Home Secretary Priti Patel has reportedly written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s adviser on accountability and state minister for interior Shahzad Akbar and expressed readiness to discuss “extradition not deportation” of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif with the government of Pakistan, he said that he has no knowledge of such kind of development.
He said that the prime minister would attend the passing out parade ceremony next month at Police Line Headquarters, and he would request him to raise salaries of the personnel of the capital police.
Rashid further said that the crime rate in the federal capital had declined by 30 percent.
The interior minister said that he had issued directives to remove all check posts from the capital city except security pickets close to the Red Zone including at Serena, Marriott, and Margalla road.
Funds will be provided to Islamabad police to increase the number of patrolling cars equipped with all modern communication gadgets and rescue facilities, he said.
He said that steps would be taken for capacity building of the Islamabad police.
To a question about setting up a forensic lab in the city, he said that a project was in consideration in that regard.
He paid tribute to the martyrs of Islamabad and police all over the country, and said that the police was facing financial problem in Pakistan.
The minister said that for provision of accommodation facilities to police personnel, special efforts would be made, and 800 kanal land would be allotted for the purpose.
He said that the package for martyred personnel of the force was Rs3 million which had been increased by the prime minister up to Rs23.5 million.
He said that the families of the martyred personnel would be paid the remaining amount soon, while their children would be employed in the force.
The minister also launched the “Tasdeeq Application” for the online registration of tenants and servants, where citizens could now verify their details at home without going to the police station.
Secretary Interior Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar, and senior officials of the Islamabad police were also present on the occasion.
The minister laid a wreath at the Martyrs’ Monument, and offered fateha.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020