No Afghan national would be allowed to stay in federal capital without NOC after Dec 31: Mohsin Naqvi

ISLAMABAD, Nov 27 (SABAH): Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday Afghan nationals would not be allowed to stay in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) without having proper permission from authorities after Dec 31, 2024.

The minister made the announcement while speaking to media in the federal capital. He said any Afghan citizen, who intends to stay in ICT after December this year, would have to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Deputy Commissioner Office. Responding to a question, the minister said most roads had been opened and routine life in Islamabad restored.

Naqvi rejected the ongoing propaganda of killings during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad, saying no policeman was equipped with a pistol. “I have been asking to share the names of those killed in the protests but there is no response from the other side,” he said.

They should share evidence, if any, of deaths during protest, he said. The minister said he would share the data of the tear gas shells fired by the protesters on law enforcers. “We are ready if they [PTI] want to come again,” he dared PTI.

Islamabad Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa has warned that no one will be allowed to challenge the writ of the state and law.

Addressing a joint news conference, Islamabad IGP Ali Nasir Rizvi and Chief Commissioner Randhawa announced that all routes of the federal capital Islamabad had been cleared. They disclosed that demonstrators including Afghan nationals staged a protest in the capital despite the fact that the Belarusian delegation was visiting Pakistan.

The chief commissioner revealed that Afghan nationals were apprehended and said the state writ must be maintained. He said data of Afghan nationals would be verified and only those possessing the NOCs would be allowed to live in the federal capital. They mentioned that they offered the PTI to stage a protest at Sangjani and a mechanism of filing an application to the district administration had to be considered for a peaceful protest.

They stated that the PTI insisted on protesting at D-Chowk where protesters were carrying weapons. The IGP and the chief commissioner stated that tear gas shells and bullets were fired on the police and Rangers personnel, green belts and trees burnt, CCTV cameras broken and metro bus stations vandalised. He said more than 200 vehicles were impounded and weapons of different sorts including pistols and Kalashnikovs were recovered from the protesters.

The IGP said search operation was still continuing and warned that terrorism would not be allowed under the guise of protest. “As many as 954 miscreants were arrested during last three days,” said IG Islamabad Ali Nasir Rizvi. There was a clear distinction between protest and terrorism but how could this be a peaceful protest where police and Rangers were attacked, he added