Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to set up a special homeland security cell/directorate that will clear the visa applications of foreigners on the pattern of the US Department of Homeland Security, it has been learnt.

Sources told Daily Times that after the episode of Matthew Craig Barrett, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was working on a summary for the prime minister in this regard.

Addressing the participants of a meeting on security, Chaudhry Nisar said that it was “high time for us to make a decision to safeguard our interests and integrity of the country at all cost”.

“No one can violate the Pakistani law,” sources quoted Chaudhry Nisar as saying.

Sources within the Interior Ministry said that a special cell or a directorate would be established at the Interior Ministry that would decide which foreigners to issue visas.

The members of this cell would be posted in the foreign missions of Pakistan as well, who will send all visa applications to the suggested cell of homeland security, minimizing the role of the Foreign Ministry in this regard. This means that the officers of the foreign missions will no longer issue visas directly.

On the other hand, sources disclosed that the Consulate General of Pakistan in Houston head, Sadia Altaf Qazi, issued the visa to Matthew Barrett, as the US citizen had married a Pakistani woman. The couple have two children. Matthew Barrett’s passport expired, so he got a new passport and travelled to Pakistan, but was caught by the FIA, sources said.

Sources said that Pakistan used to issue visas to Indian citizens after security clearance by the Interior Ministry, but now all foreigners would be cleared by the Interior Ministry before issuing visas.

They said that for this purpose, the government was also considering legislation through parliament, but first the interior minister would brief the prime minister on the new proposal.