RAWALPINDI: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on Monday said the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime wing will be strengthened to meet the challenges while 509 people would be recruited out of the 1.2 million applicants and 2,000 people for the Capital Police.

The federal minister was talking to media persons during his visit to under-construction Mother and Child Hospital (M&CH) on Monday.

“Recruitments would be made on merit,” said the interior minister, adding that the recruitment process would take time.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan would inaugurate Mother and Child Hospital on February 28, 2022 which was being completed at the cost of Rs6 million.

The minister said that M&CH, Ring road and Nullah Leh Expressway would be completed during the tenure of PTI’s government, adding that 90 per cent of work on the hospital had been completed.

Sheikh Rashid further said the Provincial Central Development Working Party (CDWP) had approved the Leh Expressway project at Rs150 billion, on which work would be started after the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approval.

Replying to a question about the PDM long march on March 23, the minister said that everybody knew that on March 23, the national parade was to be held in Islamabad and before the parade; roads were to be closed for preparation.

Rashid said that he had asked the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to come to the federal capital on March 30, adding no one would be allowed to take the law into hands, and if they did, the law would take its course.

He further said that only those who come under the flag of Pakistan and take responsibility for living in peace can be talked to. But at this stage the talks have not reached any decisive stage.

“We are moving towards e-passport. All corruption online visas have been eliminated,” he claimed.

He said that the opposition alliance should have remembered that Pakistan Day parade is being held on March 23 in Islamabad and they will not allow anyone take the law into their own hands.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2021