From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari on Tuesday denied media reports claiming that the provincial government had announced a cash reward for reporting illegal Afghan residents. She said that the All-Pakistan arms licence regime should be abolished.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Bokhari said significant enforcement had been carried out in Punjab regarding the loudspeaker ban.
She reiterated that the use of loudspeakers is permitted only for the call to prayer (Azan) and Friday sermons. She added that law-abiding and peaceful clerics were cooperating with the government to ensure the implementation of regulations aimed at strengthening security across the country.
Bokhari said the law and order situation in Punjab had improved substantially and urged other provinces to enhance security measures in their jurisdictions as well. “It should not happen that terrorists flee from Punjab and take refuge in other provinces,” she remarked.
Claiming that Lahore is “safer and more secure than New York and London,” the minister stressed that other provinces should refrain from issuing All-Pakistan arms licences, arguing that weapons permits should be valid only within the issuing province.
Demanding that the All-Pakistan licence system be abolished, Bokhari said the Punjab government would take up the issue with the federal government, as such a system “should no longer exist.”
She further stated that all provinces must uniformly implement the federal government’s policy on Afghan residents, saying the policy would not be effective unless enforced nationwide.
Responding to a question regarding reports of a cash reward for reporting illegal Afghan residents, Bokhari categorically denied the claim. She said the Punjab government had only introduced a whistleblower mechanism, through which it had received “a lot of authentic information.”
Earlier, reports had circulated that the Punjab government had launched a major operation against Afghan citizens residing or working illegally in the province, allegedly accompanied by a cash reward of Rs10,000 for informants.
