NAP takes effect in G-B: Daily ‘attendance’ of proscribed people mandated

People included in schedule-IV have to report for fresh fingerprinting every day

GILGIT: The Gilgit police on Monday mandated that people who live in Gilgit-Balitistan and appear on a terror watch list report to their respective precincts every day.

The move comes months after a decision was taken on it in an apex committee meeting in Gilgit early in 2016.

“They [individuals listed in Schedule-IV] will ensure their presence in police stations and fresh thumb impressions will be taken on papers every day,” City SHO Zahoor Ahmed told The Express Tribune on Monday.

“We have informed all concerned individuals about the decision,” he added.

Around 141 people living in G-B are included in Schedule-IV. Police already have copies of their national identity cards and updated photographs.

Checks on suspicious persons have been intensified in the region after the formal inauguration of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC) to which Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) serves as a gateway.

According to the SHO, the listed individuals will also be not allowed to leave the area without prior permission.

Schedule-IV of the ATA deals with people who are suspected to have been involved in terrorism, are affiliated with banned outfits, or have previous criminal records which make them suspicious.

Little govt role

The issue of including and removing names from schedule-IV became contentious a while back after some politicians called for removing certain individuals.

“The regional government has no direct role in the preparation of the schedule [lists],” the official said.

He added that Monday’s action was taken based on reports from police and intelligence agencies after getting approval from the federal interior ministry and that it was not based on political grounds as alleged by some political parties.

Liquor recovered

The police on Monday said they had made a major bust, recovering 500 litres of liquor from a bootlegger.

According to DIG police Rai Ajmal Bhutti, a suspected bootlegger was caught in a raid in the Baseen area of Gilgit.

The official claimed that the dealer had the backing of some influential individuals in the town.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2017.