ISLAMABAD - Sensing the situation that the ruling PML-N cannot afford two protests, one after the other, in Islamabad, the federal government yesterday decided to revoke its earlier decision to suspend citizenship of all those persons whose names are on the list of Fourth Schedule.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan made this decision following his meeting with the delegation of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) headed by JUI-S Chief Maulana Samiul Haq.
The delegation also included Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, leader of banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and Qari Yaqoob Sheikh, a leader of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD).
The government had recently suspended citizenship of all persons on the Fourth Schedule of Anti-Terrorist Act (ATA), 1997 by blocking Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) besides freezing of their bank accounts. Ahmed Ludhianvi is one of the leaders of religious parties who names are in the Forth Schedule.
The government held a meeting with the DFC, a conglomerate of religious parties, at a time when it has announced a rally on October 28 in Islamabad as a protest against the 'indifferent attitude of the government towards the religious scholars, seminaries’. The sources in the Interior Ministry said that the meeting was a step forward to vow the leaders of DPC as the government was already facing a tough situation because of announced 'lockdown Islamabad' protest of PTI.
A statement issued by the DPC said that Maulana Samiul Haq explained before the minister that the government was creating hurdles by suspending the citizenship of religious leaders besides freeing their bank accounts and restricting their international travelling. It said that the interior minister immediately ordered NADRA to unblock all CNICs of Fourth Schedulers and said warned the authority not to take such action in future.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Interior said that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan agreed in the meeting that provinces would be asked to review the list of fourth schedule as no one could be deprived of citizenship and CNICs after being a Pakistani national.
The minister said that if anyone has been deprived of CNICs despite his Pakistani nationality, it should be rectified and such decisions should not be made in future.
He said that religious forces have played an important role in reviving the effective security arrangements and it would never be allowed to target them. He assured the delegation that reservations of religious quarters would be removed after complete coordination with provincial governments.
The overall security situation in the country was also discussed and the delegation endorsed the government's efforts to improve law and order. However, it was demanded to take serious notice against those elements who are targeting Islamic ideology and religious forces.
Ahmed Nadeem, a member of media team of DPC told The Nation that Difa-e-Pakistan (DPC) would go ahead with its plan to hold rally in Islamabad on major two agendas, one to highlight Kashmir issue and other to record their protest against the indifferent attitude of the government towards religious scholars and seminaries. The meeting was positive and the government had assured us that the issue of suspension of CNICs would be resolved beside others. He said: "Even the interior minister said that he would ask four provincial governments to sit with the DPC leadership and get resolve their issues," he said.