Shahid Masood’s claims: Fabricated story an attempt to belittle govt's efforts, says Ahsan

Iqbal says media, SC fell for Shahid Masood's lies

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said that the ‘fabricated’ story about foreign currency bank accounts being held by Zainab’s murderer was a move to destabilise the country and create hindrances in the way of the democratic process.

“Foreign agencies are spreading fabricated stories through social media to destabilise Pakistan ahead of the next general elections,” the minister said while talking to the media at the Ministry of Interior’s secretariat after the inauguration ceremony of the mobile registration vans of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

He said the culprit of Kasur incident has been arrested but a baseless propaganda was underway through social media to destabilise Pakistan, he said.

“This proves how big a tool of chaos and disruption social media is. This is the election year and we have to make sure that there’s no chaos in Pakistan,” he stated.



The minister said that the story about bank accounts of the suspected murderer in Zainab case was an attempt to belittle the efforts of the Punjab government about his arrest.

He said the media and the Supreme Court were trapped for the fabricated story that should be a lesson for the media to crosscheck before running a story.

Anchorperson Dr Shahid Masood in his TV show had claimed that the alleged rapist and murderer in the Kasur incident was part of an international racket involved in child pornography and that Imran, the accused, held more than 37 bank accounts, including that of foreign currency.

The interior minister also said that those demanding early elections were actually conspiring against democracy and the country.

“Such people want that the tenure of the caretaker setup should be prolonged,” he said and named PTI Chairman Imran Khan behind the move.

“The government will not allow the elections to be held before July.”

Responding to a question about the unceremonious removal of Nawab Sanullah Zehri as Balochistan chief minister, he said whosoever -- including PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari -- played the game to dislodge an elected government actually did injustice with the people of Balochistan and Pakistan.

At a time when some enemies were raising the slogan of independent Balochistan, it was inappropriate to dislodge the government, he said.

“I hope that no one will play such a game in the province in the future as this was bad for democracy,” he said.

Speaking on the controversy over the interior ministry’s recent change in the visa regime by allowing visa-on-arrival to tourists and investors, the minister said no change in the visa policy had been made and added that the government would have to relax it only for tourists and investors.

He said the government was implementing the visa policy, keeping in view the challenges of national security and no compromise would be made in it.

“We want balance in the visa policy that has the component of national security but should also facilitate tourists and businessmen.”

Contrary to the remarks of his predecessor Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan given on the floor of the National Assembly, Ahsan said that Pakistan could not compare itself with the countries like the US, the UK or Japan.

“We cannot say that the visa policy should be bi-lateral and on reciprocal basis,” he responded to Nisar’s remarks.

“No one will come to Pakistan if we say that the ministers of these countries should get visas from missions abroad because our ministers have to go to their embassy," he said.

He viewed that if the international community did not come to Pakistan, they will lose nothing. He said that they should not be emotional on the issue. Responding to a question, he said he was not changing the policies of his predecessor but ‘rationalising’ them.

On the registration of international NGOs, the minister said that those international aid groups would not be allowed registration in Pakistan that used to send spies in the country.

“However, those working for the development of the country and have a positive role in the democratic process would have to be facilitated,” he said.

Giving an example that Agha Khan Foundation, he said the NGO was also facing delay in the registration process but it would be injustice for such organisations.

He said that the federal government was coordinating with the provinces to change the automatic weapons having prohibited bore into semi-automatic one and added that the policy in this connection would be implemented in an effective way.

He said that the jurisdiction of Nadra mobile registration vans was being extended to the villages and far off areas to mobilise the countrymen to get their identity cards.

The purpose was that to ensure issuance of CNICs to people in far-off areas, including that of women. He said the government wanted that women would use their right to vote in next elections and could participate in the democratic process.

The mobile vans would go door-to-door to issue CNICs to women.  He said that NADRA had included 78 vans in its fleet while 100 more vans were being arranged.

He further said that district level committees had been formed to unblock 1, 25000 CNICs.

The interior minister stressed said that an organised campaign was under way in the country to present the narrative of China in a negative manner.

“Such people are using the language of the enemy,” he said, adding China had extended his hand towards Pakistan when their own investors were not ready to invest in Pakistan.

He also said that Pakistan should be indebted to China for CPEC and those creating conspiracies over this matter should know that negativity was not going to bear any fruit.