KARACHI - Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday ruled out presence of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants in Pakistan.
Addressing the media men after the passing-out parade of Rangers here on Tuesday, he said, “No organisation of such name exists in Pakistan. The reports suggest that there is no presence of ISIS elements in the country.”
The statement comes days after the provincial government of Balochistan conveyed a confidential report to law enforcement agencies with a warning of increased footprints of IS, also known by the Arabic acronym Daish, in Pakistan.
The ‘secret information report’ stated that the IS has claimed to have recruited a large number of 10 to 12,000 followers from Hangu and Kurram Agency tribal areas. To a question, the minister said joint investigation team formed to probe into Wagah border incident would issue its report in couple of days.
Regarding the law and order in Karachi, he vowed that police and Rangers would continue their anti-criminal operation in the City till complete restoration of peace. “We have the realisation that law and order situation in Karachi is not ideal and we are making all out efforts in this regard. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will soon chair a high-level meeting of government officials and law enforcement agencies to review the outcome of the operation,” he added.
Nisar said Karachi was under grave threat on 10 Muharram but preemptive measures including intelligence-based raids and detentions thwarted any possible attack. He commended the role played by the Rangers in terms of security and maintaining peace. Karachi’s situation is not ideal but one must praise superior performance, he added. He indicated that prime minister will soon visit Karachi which would be his first meeting after the change in chain of command.
The interior minister said they intend to rejuvenate the operation as there were several areas that need serious attention which had been discussed with Rangers Director General Khan Tahir Javaid.
Earlier, addressing the passing-out parade of Rangers’ basic recruits training course-18 in Karachi, he also lauded the role of Pakistan Rangers Sindh.

 He said it had carried out 4,000 raids and arrested 7,500 criminals during the 14-month-long targeted operation in Karachi.  He expressed hope that the mission of maintaining complete order in Karachi will successfully be accomplished by the new leadership of the Pakistan Rangers Sindh.
On the occasion, he lauded the role of former director general of Pakistan Rangers Sindh, General Rizwan Akhtar who led and initiated operation against the criminals in the city. He also paid rich tributes to the soldiers of Pakistan Rangers and armed forces of the country who have sacrificed their precious lives while safeguarding the motherland and combating terrorists. He expressed hope that the recruits who passed-out today will play their role in protecting their motherland and countrymen. Nisar said about 7,500 suspects had so far been arrested in the Karachi operation. He said over 4,000 raids were conducted by the security agencies in last 14 months to cleanse the city from terrorists. Earlier, the interior minister gave away awards to the outstanding cadets.