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RAWALPINDI: In line with government’s directives, the police have started a surveillance of people belonging to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and considering issuing them chip-based national identity cards equipped with security features.
A senior police official told Dawn that strict surveillance of more than 5,400 people belonging to the tribal areas and living in the Rawalpindi division had been started. He said the police were also considering containing them to a specific place so that they could be keep under a watch.
He said the whereabouts of all such individuals were being gathered in Rawalpindi and three other districts. Of the total individuals from the tribal areas, 4,300 were living/doing business in the Rawalpindidistrict, 610 in Attock, 245 in Jhelum and 280 in Chakwal.
Police considering issuing them chip-based national identity cards equipped with added security features
“The objective of compiling the data of all such individuals is to keep vigilance on them,” the senior police official said. “Police are also considering containing them to a specific place and issuing them chip-based identity cards.”
He said the police were also getting biometric verifications of suspicious people during the joint operation being conducted by the army, police and intelligence agencies after the fresh wave of terrorist attacks in the country.
“Any individual found without the national identity card is detained by the police,” he said.
Separately, the police sealed seven bus stands in Pirwadhai for the lack of security arrangements in accordance with the standard operating procedure on Monday night. But the police withdrew from bus stands after about 12 hours.
Haji Zahoor Ahmed, the chairman of the transport union, told Dawn that the police started raiding the private bus stands on Monday night and sealed seven bus stands except the general bus terminal.
He said one of the private bus stands that were sealed had 16 close circuit television cameras (CCTV), four armed security guards and other arrangements as directed by the police.
Due to the sealing of the bus stands, hundreds of people had to face trouble as they kept on shuttling between Pirwadhai, Faizabad and Soan bus stands to reach their destinations. After observing the situation, the police unsealed the bus stands.
Mr Ahmed said when the attention of senior police officials was drawn towards the Pirwadhai general bus stand, which lacked proper security measures, they only said it was a government bus stand.
Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017
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Comments (41) Closed
Sad state of affairs we reached due to wrong policies adopted
this act will further divide our nation.how they can restrict people in their own country.
Seems like the plan of our incompetent & corrupt lot.
Keeping people of a certain area under check and confined to a place? And we cry of Trump being Racist? The seed of hatred and divide has been sown in times where you cant afford to do that
Why not in Karachi and all over Pakistan.Complete data for Sucide bombers to be worked out and the areas to be circulated.All resident of those areas must be bodily chipped from where the Sucide bombers originate.
Pakistan is taking extreme wrong steps to tackle the situation... This will further escalate the problem
Restricting the movement of people is not the answer. Merger of KP and FATA is need of the hour.
worst strategy of the government, its like made of desperation. this move will only divide the people of already divided country.
Such discriminations will lead to another Bangladesh.
I really don't know what to say.
Instead of restriction on them, it is time to brain wash them their stone age ideology through carefully planning involving Pakistan best philosophers.
Other provinces will be also justify in keeping people of Punjab under strict surveillance
In this group there are many Afghans. They should be pointed out and be deported to Afghanidtan.
this is racial profiling on the lines of Trump. This will divide our nation and is a complete injustice with our country men and women. Army and police need to work harder to provide safety rather than profiling the innocent.
Poor chaps. And then we wonder how do they manage to brainwash these young lads so easily. It is nothing but our own policies since 9/11 attacks that has ultimately lead us to these sad state of affairs.
So you are after your own people now. Great.
Good move..
This should have happened long ago.
@Irfan you must be joking, isn't you? you need to understand the root cause of terrorism in Pakistan. Harassing & humiliating them in the name of surveillance won't do any good.
utterly shameful. so this is the only solution these incompetent leaders can think of to subjugate a section of their own citizens to humuliation
We don't need racial profiling
Incompetent government
Now is this the way forward? Why we are proactive?
@waqas ... ... What's the difference? There is very little unity in Pakistan. Not in the government. Not between people. Not between men and women. Not between the rich and the poor. Not between the educated and the uneducated. Outside religion mistrust is all that is shared in Pakistan.
This is called discrimination.
how disgusting! it look like Government and their pathetic gamers have lost their sense.. Instead of bringing them in main stream you people are creating further drift... What the hell is wrong with our people and their mind set... For Heaven sake Wake up people Wake up!
Welcom to trumpism
A humiliation for Fata-origin People.
desperate times desperate measures
This is a very wrong approach creating mistrust and divisions among Pakistanis.these people are suffering because of wrong policies of the stat.these measure will intensify the existing hate against Punjab
Pathans are being discriminated against a lot already
If there's a measure, it should apply to all equally.
This is totally wrong,FATA people are Pakistani and have a right to live and work anywhere in Pakistan,if the government can not catch the bad guys they don't have the right to label everyone from FATA!!.
@ Alba ...Opinions are not facts of life!!.
Internment is only for aliens who's country you are at war with,these are our own people.This government is resorting to unlawful acts !.
On the one hand, the people of FATA have been subjected to draconian laws of British era in the form of FCR and on the other, they are being singled out as the perpetrators of terror. Now the hard working Pashtuns of FATA are not even allowed to earn a livelihood for their families. Are they children of a lesser god? Seems like Pakistan is never going to learn any lessons from history. A shameful act and another sad day in our history.
@Jan lala ..I am a Punjabi and i hate what this government is doing to my brothers and sisters from KPK/FATA,so please keep this ''Hate Punjab'' thing under control,thanks.
Shameful. How can they do this to any citizen of Pakistan. this must not be allowed. where are the champions of democracy. Sad sad day.
if this was done by any other country to pakistanis then pakistan Government would certainly be not happy .
What a country!!! So horribly sad how organized lawlessness thrives by the law & under the law.
Can we do this in Karachi !