Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Barrister Ali Zafar here on Thursday said caretaker government in Punjab had made security arrangements for Nawaz Sharif’s arrival keeping in view the ground realities to maintain peace on July 13.

“We need to balance this situation,” he said talking to media persons after attending the concluding session of National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)’s National Youth Conference entitled “Countering Violent Extremism on Universities Campuses.”

To a question about arrival of leaders and workers of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) at the Lahore Airport, he said it was responsibility of Punjab government to facilitate National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for implementing court’s verdict as former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter were coming to Pakistan for their arrest and on other side NAB would be there to arrest them.”

The minister said he was a representative of federal government, however, provincial government was in a better position to answer about the arrangements they had made to maintain law and order.

Barrister Ali Zafar said he had complete confidence in provincial government, which had made all arrangements according to prevailing situation, and “We should support them.”

When asked whether Nawaz Sharif and his daughter would be taken direct to jail, he said as per law they should be produced before the court, but it would be discretion of NAB either to produce them before the court or to send them to jail.

Regarding some reservations of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and PML-N on caretaker set-up, Barrister Ali Zafar said under Article 19, each and every person had the right to freedom of speech.

However, the interim government was all committed to deliver in larger national interest and continue serving the people of Pakistan with dedication.

Answering another question regarding exclusion of former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur’s names in the Exit Control List (ECL), he said Supreme Court’s direction would be followed in that regard. He said the decision to include names of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz in the ECL would be taken after their arrival in Pakistan.

Earlier, addressing the conference, he said Afghan war brought extremism for the first time in Pakistan.

The minister said, “Those who came to Afghanistan to fight against Soviet Union, turned fighting against us and shattered peace.

“We fought against them and rendered numerous sacrifices. Sacrifices have been rendered by people of Pakistan, Pakistan armed forces and even children for cause of peace. Although we have started winning the war yet question of tolerance still remains. Tolerance should be made part of our education system,” he added.

He said people of Pakistan, being a peace loving nation, have suffered a lot for the last few decades.

In his brief address, National Coordinator NACTA, Dr Muhammad Suleman Khan said the authority had already

launched a Youth Engagement Programme (YEP) and adopted much more vigorous approach to prevent youth from falling to violent extremism.

He said the central and core principle of youth engagement strategy of NACTA revolved around preventing violent extremism.

Dr Suleman said Pakistan’s youth, who are 62 per cent of total population will have to come forward against the ongoing war on terror by engaging themselves in positive activities, eliminating hate and extremist culture from society, especially from amongst students of universities and madaris.

The objective of the two -day conference was to engage students and faculty members from prominent universities and madaris for devising a Pakistan specific national strategy for countering on-campus religious extremism.

Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr Tariq Banuri also spoke on the occasion.

Around 200 participants from all over Pakistan attended the Conference, amongst them were vice chancellors, faculty members, students senior office holders of various educational and vocational institutes including some of prominent Madaris students and faculty members of more than 25 universities.

Published in Daily Times, July 13^th 2018.