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Misuse of blasphemy law will not be allowed, says Faisal

By Shaukat Piracha

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat has said the government will not allow the Blasphemy law to be misused.

The government would amend any law which discriminates against Pakistani citizens because the Constitution guarantees equality to everyone irrespective to the sect, or religion they belong to, Mr Hayat told reporters on his return from the United Kingdom on Tuesday.

Mr Hayat said the draft law to end the menace of karo kari has been referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology and would be passed by parliament after necessary inputs from the council.

Mr Hayat said that many ministries had given their suggestions on the draft law against karo kari. He said the bill against karo kari basically amends Section 302 and other related sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and recognises killing in the name of karo kari as murder punishable under Section 302. To a question about the arrest of terrorists in the Gujrat operation, Mr Hayat said that 16 terrorists had been arrested in the operation, including 11 or 12 foreign terrorists, most of them from East Africa.

He said the recent attacks in Turbat, Balochistan, was not terrorism but a different threat. “The attacks were made by the nationalist forces, which I always call the anti-nationalists, who want to hinder the development in Balochistan,” he said. He added that the government was tackling the issue both at the political level and from the perspective of the law enforcement agencies.

Talking about his visit to the United Kingdom, Mr Hayat said Pakistan and the UK signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which both countries would cooperate in the fields of intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism, drug control, forensics, crime control and other similar areas. He said that Dr Shoaib Suddle, director general of the National Police Bureau, and Sir Stevens, commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, signed the MoU on behalf of both governments.

Mr Hayat said he inaugurated two NADRA Swift Centres in the UK, one each in London and Birmingham. He said the centres were needed because out of more than 1.7 million Pakistanis living in the UK, a little over 100,000 Pakistanis had applied for the National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis. “This card is valid for ten years and can be obtained for 10 pounds only. The cardholders do not need a visa to enter Pakistan,” said Mr Hayat.

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