ISLAMABAD, July 25: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao on Monday said over 280 activists of two banned religious outfits had been arrested since last Friday for violating laws concerning maintenance of public order.
The minister said that the arrests had come after a spate of warnings to religious outfits and custodians of seminaries against hoarding hate material in mosques and seminaries, collecting donations, misusing loud speakers and flouting the laws of the land.
Mr Sherpao said most of the activists were still in custody and they would face cases in local courts. Forty-six cases have been registered against those who produce, hoard and distribute material inciting hatred for others, according to the minister.
Mr Sherpao said that more than 400 cases had been registered against the misuse of loudspeakers in the central Punjab province and 200 people had been arrested in connection with this offence. Responding to a question about his meeting with US Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker at the interior ministry, Mr Sherpao said it was a scheduled meeting and issues of mutual interest were discussed in it. “There was nothing significant in the meeting,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the government had decided to register 12,000 seminaries in the country and for that it would introduce new laws. Seminaries are currently registered under the Societies Act 1860. Under this law seminaries can only be registered and not monitored by the authorities concerned.
The minister said the operation against banned outfits and seminaries involved in extremism, sectarianism and terrorism would continue. Mr Sherpao said some 16 religious organisations had been proscribed and two had been banned.
