ISLAMABAD - Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Monday that an investigation team from Kabul has arrived here to investigate alleged abduction of daughter of Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan which will be free to conduct the probe. “I have instructed inspector general of police (Islamabad) to hand over our fact-based findings of investigation to Afghan investigation committee in coordination with the Foreign Office, he said adding that Pakistan had completed the probe.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the team will be allowed access to all the concerned people and the police were ready to give answers to its questions, if any.  

The interior minister said that he had given a go-ahead to the police to share its investigation and footage with the Afghan team and it can interview to 11 concerned people — including the four taxi drivers.  

He said Afghan team would be free to conduct its probe. “Pakistan is a free country,” he added.

Last month, Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad Najibullah Alikhil’s 27-year-old daughter Silsila Alikhil was allegedly abducted and tortured by unidentified persons.

The interior minister said that the Ministry of Interior issued instructions to all provinces to observe Youm-e-Istehsal on August 5 in support of the freedom struggle of people of Occupied Kashmir. He said that one minute silence would be observed at 9 pm and traffic on roads would be stopped for one minute also on that day.  

Interior Minister says Afghan team can interview 11 people including four taxi drivers

Responding a question, he also said that he cannot order police to shoot alleged killer of Noor Mukadam in an encounter but hoped that the court will hand down death sentence to Zahir Jaffer, the suspect. He said that the evidence and witnesses were complete in the case and had been provided to the court.

 

Sheikh Rashid said a meeting would be held on Thursday on maintaining security in the upcoming month of Muharram and all provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs would participate in it. Ministry of Interior has issued instructions to ensure peace during the month, he added.

 

H said that 64 individuals serving for extended periods of time in foreign missions had been recalled and new appointments were being made. He warned that such “over-stayed” officials would be dismissed from service if they didn’t return to the country and report to their offices by August 30. “They will be no the government servants of those institutions where they had been working and were appointed abroad after so long they don’t want to come (back) because they have green cards (in their possession) or anything.”

The interior minister said that he had instructed the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat to remove all encroachments alongside city’s nullahs by August 30. “I would personally supervise the operations.”

 

He clarified that the order was only for nullahs because encroachments have blocked the flow of water and referred to recently rain that cause havoc in Islamabad’s Sector E-11.  Responding a question about the investigation in the Dasu dam blast incident, he said it had progressed but added that foolproof security was in place for the Chinese.

 

Talking on the political issues, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan was facing threat from the opposition PML-N as it was facing rifts due to emergence of two camps within— one believes in resistance and other in reconciliation. But both of their policies have failed in Kashmir and Sialkot by-election, he added.

“The PML-N has faced damage due to its own policies because they (its leaders) have been using irresponsible and unparliamentarily language,” he said adding that the party has no political future.

He also said that the government’s doors for talks were open for the PML-N leader and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif. He should come by forgetting the past and initiate talks with the government first on the use of electronic voting machines in the elections, the minister added.

Sheikh Rashid said that NADRA was developing a system for Covid-19 certification, and domestic and international passengers would get the certificate through it. He said that the system would be linked with 64 countries. He said that chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) and deputy commissioner Islamabad have been instructed to make Diplomatic Enclave safe and provide it a modern security. He said that 190 CCTV cameras would be installed in the area. He said that his earlier August 14th deadline to expel those foreigners from country who are residing without visas could be extended for another fortnight but they would have to leave the country.