Militias not allowed under the National Action Plan: Interior Minister
No militia is allowed under the National Action Plan: Interior Minister
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Federal Interior Minister Ijaz Shah has said that under the National Action Plan and law, no one is allowed to have militias or armed wings in their organization.
He was referring to the government’s decided to take action against militias of religious and political organizations as Ministry of Interior has asked provincial governments to take action against such groups.
The Minister said this while talking to Dunya News program “On the Front”. He said that no party has been named in the notification and neither does it target any particular group. Anyone concerned by the move does not need to worry if they don’t operate a private militia, he added.
Talking about the second wave of the pandemic, Ijaz Shah said that the opposition should not hold rallies during the coronavirus surge. Everyone is watching them hold rallies endangering the lives of its poor supporters while their own loved ones are settled abroad.
On Monday, the Interior Ministry said that certain organizations have established their militias which have even resorted to wearing uniform/ranks like formal Armed Forces/Law Enforcement Agencies and depict themselves as military organizations, which is a gross violation of Article 256 of the constitution and point 3 of the National Action Plan (NAP).
The ministry warned that such developments, if unchecked, may further aggravate the complex security situation and the issue also has a negative impact with regard to national / international image of the country.
Interior Ministry requested all provincial governments to take immediate cognizance of this threat and adapt effective necessary measures to check the functioning and other development of such militias.
Such organizations are setting a wrong precedent for other political / religious parties who may resort to similar practices further compounding the law and order situation, the ministry said.
The ministry also assured assistance to provincial authorities that may be required for this purpose.
