QUETTA: Balochistan government has decided to collect the bio-data of all Afghan clerics currently performing duties as Paish Imams (prayer-leaders) across the province, it has been learnt.

On Friday evening, Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch chaired the meeting of Apex Committee comprising senior military and civil officers to review the pace of implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) in the province.

The meeting decided to rein in those elements taking law into their hands and selling hate materials in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

The decision to collect bio-data of Afghan clergymen is part of Balochistan government's resolve to implement the National Action Plan (NAP).

In most parts of Quetta and northern parts of Balochistan, Afghan clerics have been performing their duties as prayer leaders for more than three decades. These clerics have established good ties with local population. "We have no specific details of these clerics," the officer said.

District Intelligence Coordination Committees (DICCs) have already been established to scrutinise Madrassahs (religious seminaries) in the province.

These DICCs have also been entrusted the task to collect bio-data of Afghan clergymen, an officer of the Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Department told Dawn.com.

The officer of Home Department informed that hitherto 1,641 seminaries were scrutinised by DICCs in different districts of the province. He revealed that so far 2,441 seminaries were registered with Industries department in Balochistan under the Society Registration Act, 2010, adopted by Pakistan Peoples Party government. Under this act the registration of seminaries, students and teachers was declared essential.

"We have no data about the number of non-registered seminaries," the official said.

This is for the first time that a vigilant eye is being kept at Afghan clerics since the influx of Afghan refugees in the aftermath of 1978 after the Red Revolution in Afghanistan.