Punjab mulls ban on extremist party to maintain rule of law

LAHORE: The Punjab government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has approved a series of extraordinary measures aimed at strengthening state authority and ensuring the rule of law across the province.

In a high-level meeting on law and order, chaired by the Chief Minister, it was decided that the provincial government will recommend the federal government to impose a ban on an extremist party.

According to the plan, individuals involved in hate speech, incitement, and lawlessness will be immediately arrested. Those responsible for the martyrdom of police officers and destruction of public property will face trials in anti-terrorism courts (ATCs).

The leadership of the extremist group will be placed under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and all its assets and properties will be handed over to the Auqaf Department.

The display of the group’s posters, banners, and advertisements will be completely banned, and its social media accounts will be blocked.

The provincial government also ordered the freezing of all bank accounts linked to the extremist organization and announced strict enforcement of the Loudspeaker Act.

In another major decision, the Punjab government has decided to bring Afghan nationals into the tax net and prepare real-time data on illegal residents.

A whistleblower system will be introduced to report such individuals, with the identity of informants kept strictly confidential.

The government has also decided to launch a province-wide combing operation against illegal foreign residents and their businesses, with deportations to be carried out in accordance with federal policy.