36 individuals included in Schedule IV, anti-terrorism watchlist, in Gilgit-Baltistan
ISLAMABAD: According to a recent, updated, list, a total of 36 people from Gilgit-Baltistan are included in the Schedule IV (anti-terrorism watchlist) of Pakistan.
The 36 people include religious leaders, former and current legislators, as well as progressive and nationalist activists from many districts.
Former member of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, Didar Ali, is part of the list. Incumbent legislator, Ghulam Shehzad (Agha), a former nationalist leader who had joined the Pakistan People’s Party a few years ago, is also included in the list.
Also present among the list of proscribed persons are prominent clerics, like Sheikh Mirza Ali, Bilal Summairi and Agha Syed AliRizvi, along with Mowlana MaqboolMir, Molvi Bakh Sher and MuftiMuhammad Ali.
Also included in the list if Col (r) Nadir Hassan, son of freedom fighter Col (r) Mirza Hassan, a hero of Gilgit-Baltistan’s liberation war.
Mir Nisar Hasnain Rammal, a progressive activist from Hunza who was arrested a few weeks ago, is also included in the list. Manzoor Hussain Parwana, nationalist leader, is also present on the list.
Majority of the proscribed individuals (24) belong to District Gilgit.
Rights activists and progressive organizations have routinely accused the government and administration of using the schedule-iv list to curb freedom of speech and crush dissent.
According to NACTA website, “Any individual about whom either there is a credible intelligence-information or who has a history of being linked to a Proscribed Organization can be proscribed by Home Department of a Province and can be subjected to restrictions on travel, speech and business, under the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997. After issuance notification by the Home Department, name of such proscribed person is included in the 4th Schedule under the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997. Therefore, such proscribed persons are also referred to in local Police/ LEAs parlance as 4th Schedulers.”
Some of the actions taken against the “4th Schedulers” includes passport embargo, freezing of bank accounts, ban on financial support, loan and credit card, arms license embargo, as well as granting/blocking clearance for recruitment in Federal/Provincial Governments/ Agencies through monitoring, according to the NACTA website.
Complete list, as released on NACTA’s website, is appended below:
