Interior minister restricts ministry officials from foreign trips, links

Nisar says only those links with foreigners will be allowed which are pre-approved.

ISLAMABAD: In a surprising move, the new Interior Minister has restricted ministry officials from maintaining linkages with foreigners or undertaking foreign trips over the next six months, unless pre-approved.

Chairing a high level meeting at the Interior Ministry on Friday, incumbent minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that unless it was highly obligatory, ministry officials were restricted from foreign tours over the next six months. He also restricted officials from maintaining links with foreigners unless these links were pre-approved.

Compensation for slain security officals

The meeting also discussed raising compensation for officials of security forces who had lost their lives in the line of duty.

Interior ministry officials disclosed that a programme to provide care for the orphaned children and widows of security personnel killed in terror attacks.

“Security personnel’s tenure in difficult and strife-torn areas should be limited,” Khan suggested in a press statement issued here on Friday.

National Security Policy

Nisar said that a national security policy will be completed within the month of July after due input from the Ministry and the security forces is coordinated.

The interior minister stressed upon greater coordination between the federal and provincial governments, between civil and military intelligence agencies and between the intelligence agencies and the security forces for better implementation.

Directions were also issued to set up a hotline for public complaints against the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control.

Capital security tightened

Nisar on Friday reiterated his stance of zero tolerance on open display of arms within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

On the ban of arms licenses, he said only those cases will be processed whose fee had been deposited before June 20, 2013.