faizahmad
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ISLAMABAD - An official of the Interior Ministry astounded the members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on Wednesday when he told them that Interior Minister Rehman Malik did not want to encourage the registration and subsequent grant of citizenship to post-71-War Bengalis, as the committee discussed problems being faced by the community in getting citizenship of Pakistan.
Committee members Wasim Akhtar and Bushra Gohar took exception to the statement of the official and said that on one hand the government and the constitution wanted the issue of registration of Bengalis who came to Pakistan before the 1971 War resolved, but on the other, the minister did not want the process encouraged.
The additional secretary of the ministry, however, clarified that there were around five million illegal immigrants residing in the country and the minister did not want them to be registered and be granted citizenship.
The committee directed the Interior Ministry and NADRA to establish facilitation centres at Karachi so that the applicants could visit and take guideline and assistance in getting them registered before seeking citizenship.
NADRA Deputy Chairman Tariq Malik told the committee that National Alien Registration Authority had so far registered 5,950 Bengalis and added they had to undergo the nationalization process at the Ministry of Interior before applying for citizenship.
He said 39,000 cases of Bengalis were pending with NADRA for registration, upon which committee chairman Abdul Qadir Patel expressed dismay by saying that the registration authority was doing nothing for resolving the decades-old problem of Bengalis.
He also asked the ministry to present the SoPs for registering and granting citizenship to the aliens at the next meeting. Taking notice of the unknown number facility being provided by some cellular service providers, the committee decided to summon the PTA high ups at the next meeting as it observed the facility as a threatening tool at the hands of callers
Committee members Wasim Akhtar and Bushra Gohar took exception to the statement of the official and said that on one hand the government and the constitution wanted the issue of registration of Bengalis who came to Pakistan before the 1971 War resolved, but on the other, the minister did not want the process encouraged.
The additional secretary of the ministry, however, clarified that there were around five million illegal immigrants residing in the country and the minister did not want them to be registered and be granted citizenship.
The committee directed the Interior Ministry and NADRA to establish facilitation centres at Karachi so that the applicants could visit and take guideline and assistance in getting them registered before seeking citizenship.
NADRA Deputy Chairman Tariq Malik told the committee that National Alien Registration Authority had so far registered 5,950 Bengalis and added they had to undergo the nationalization process at the Ministry of Interior before applying for citizenship.
He said 39,000 cases of Bengalis were pending with NADRA for registration, upon which committee chairman Abdul Qadir Patel expressed dismay by saying that the registration authority was doing nothing for resolving the decades-old problem of Bengalis.
He also asked the ministry to present the SoPs for registering and granting citizenship to the aliens at the next meeting. Taking notice of the unknown number facility being provided by some cellular service providers, the committee decided to summon the PTA high ups at the next meeting as it observed the facility as a threatening tool at the hands of callers
