Punjab Govt to deport 400 foreigners studying in Deobandi seminaries

Four hundred foreigners are studying in different Madressa (seminaries) of Deobandi clerics across Punjab without local documentation and they will be deported soon, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif told reporters on Wednesday.

“A list of these (Deobandi) students has been sent to the federal government,” he said addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Model Town Secretariat along with Punjab Cabinet ministers and top government officials, the chief minister said his government would use all means and resources to end the menace of terrorism and extremism from the province.

“It’s a high-time to end terrorism. It’s now or never. All those Afghan immigrants who don’t have a permit will also be sent back,” he said. “We are importing 1,000 biometric machines which would be linked to the NADRA database and can verify if a person is a Pakistani citizen or not.”

He said hundreds of elements who are supportive of (Deobandi takfiri) terrorists or are involved in terrorism in anyway were arrested in the province, adding that matters of prosecution were also being completed quickly.

“A counter-terrorism force has been established … we are giving them bulletproof jackets and helicopters to fight terrorism,” he said.

A Quick Response Force and a Rapid Response Force have also been established, added Shahbaz.

Shia Muslims say they wait and see when these words turn into actions because PMLN government also did a lip-service against the terrorists.