Pakistan plans American-style surveillance for foreigners

In the latest meeting of an intra-provincial committee, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan should adopt a tracking system being used by the US and European countries to keep an eye on foreigners, the Urdu language Express-News reported.

There is a dire need of having such tracking system which will be helpful in monitoring the movement of foreigners, the minister said.

Asif made the remarks after the secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs raised the issue of Afghan students studying in various seminaries in Pakistan, it said.

The secretary briefed the committee on the links of these students with militancy in Pakistan on which the national security advisor said there should be surveillance of all such students and on expiry of their visit visas they should be sent back to their homeland.

The secretary said they are closely monitoring the situation and might change the visa regime very soon.

In April, then interior minister Nisar Ali Khan had ordered the immediate suspension of issuance of visas on arrival to foreigners to avoid any irregularities in the database.

He had also ordered the Ministry of Interior to revise and update visa rules.