ISLAMABAD, March 7: Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider on Thursday announced general amnesty for those activists of banned religious or political groups who tender written undertaking not to continue with the group or party.

“The government will not take any further action against those activists of the banned groups who were arrested but had no criminal charges or having no FIR registered against them,” he announced at a radio broadcast.

The number of those arrested under MPO 16 before Eidul Azha is in hundreds.

Lists of such people are being prepared by the provinces and all those who have not been charged for any major crime would be released on a written undertaking that they would not continue with the banned party or group any further, Haider said.

The minister warned those behind the sectarian violence and said no stone would be left unturned to restore the supremacy of law and order. “We will continue our ‘jihad’ against such elements,” he said.

He said the police are working to crack down on the terrorist network as a number of the elements responsible for such acts remain at large.

Referring to the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, the minister said the investigations were going on and those responsible had yet to be arrested.

However, he admitted that the police had no expert of cyber crimes which had been unearthed following the kidnapping of the journalist and then his killing.

He said the police had arrested around 600 top killers of sectarian organizations and their trial would start as soon as the new system of anti-terrorism courts was put in place. “We are fully determined to stamp out this menace,” he said.

He said that allocation of Rs15 billion would be required to implement the police reforms while Rs3 billion were being spent during the current year.—APP