Ask Zardari, Bilawal about offshore assets, Nisar tells Imran

 

Before inviting them to container

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday said before inviting the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his father Asif Ali Zardari to his container, PTI Chairman Imran Khan should ask them about the Surrey Palace and their properties in America and Dubai.

Talking to newsmen after inaugurating the Nadra Mega Centre here, he said the PPP’s announcement of launching a campaign against corruption was just like the BJP announcing a campaign for the rights of Muslims in India.

Nisar said Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto were the only political leaders who had not yet declared their assets.“Asif Ali Zardari remained in power for five years but he did not declare his assets.

Bilawal should also explain from where he got the money to buy three palaces in Dubai and other properties in different countries. He should also ask his father from where he got the money to buy the properties abroad,” said Nisar.

The minister said troops would be deployed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to ensure free and fair elections in a safe and secure environment.

“Transparency and fairness of elections in the AJK is extremely important in view of the sham elections across the Line of Control (LoC) and we are trying to ensure fair elections upon which no one can raise a finger,” he said.

He said despite that the army was dealing with floods, it had committed troops for the elections while the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also been asked to contribute forces. In all, 22,000 personnel would be deputed for elections in Azad Kashmir by the 18th or 19th of this month, he said.

Replying to a question, the minister said the Rangers in Karachi were mandated to tackle terrorism, extortion, kidnappings for ransom and target killings and there had been a significant reduction in these crimes while as per police figures street crimes had increased.

Nisar said there had been progress in one of the two recent incidents of killing of Amjad Sabri and kidnapping of the son of Sindh High Court chief justice.Replying to another question, the minister said those raising hue and cry over corruption were also involved in purchasing properties abroad.

The minister said the Nadra would formally start sending SMSs to family heads after Eid holidays to confirm their family trees.He said the Nadra had received 200,000 SMSs from citizens and 5,000 had pointed out intrusion in their trees. Of the total, 950 have been confirmed fake or aliens, he added.

He said under re-verification derive of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs), the government had announced that any foreigner/refugee who voluntarily returns the illegally obtained CNIC within two months would be given the refugee status and in case the fake cardholder was traced during the drive, he/she would be deported or sent to jail.

Regarding the Afghan refugees, he said: “This is quite a serious matter and soon a national policy would be conceived to regulate their stay in Pakistan.”Successive governments had braced the burden of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Pakistan but now the time has come to prepare a comprehensive national policy on the matter, he added.

Nisar said a meeting had been planned on the return of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif from London to decide on which principles the Afghan refugees would stay in Pakistan.

Earlier, giving details about the state-of-the-art mega Nadra Center in the federal capital, the minister said the centre was capable of providing fast track registration facility to citizens. He said such mega centers would also be set up in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta while Karachi would have two centres.