ISLAMABAD: Amid an uptick in militant attacks in Pakistan, authorities in Punjab have approved the use of electronic tracking devices to monitor individuals listed under the country’s Fourth Schedule as security risks, the provincial home department said on Thursday.
The Fourth Schedule of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act includes the names of individuals suspected of involvement in militant or sectarian violence. Those placed on the list are subjected to intense scrutiny and movement restrictions.
Under the new policy, GPS-enabled tracking bands will be attached to these individuals, allowing round-the-clock monitoring of their movements.
“This is a major decision aimed at enhancing surveillance using globally recognized practices,” the Punjab Home Department said in a statement, adding that new devices equipped with advanced micro-tracking chips would also be imported.
The devices will be distributed among the province’s key security agencies, including the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Crime Control Department and the Parole Department.
According to the statement, a high-level meeting chaired by Punjab Home Secretary Noor-ul-Amin Mengal approved the deployment of 1,500 tracking devices in the first phase.
Of these, 900 will be allocated to the CTD, 500 to the Crime Control Department and 100 to the Parole Department.
The decision follows expert recommendations advocating continuous surveillance of high-risk individuals and the adoption of internationally accepted tools for law enforcement and counterterrorism.
The development comes amid a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan. While such violence has largely remained confined to the two western provinces bordering Afghanistan, Punjab, the country’s most populous region, also remains vulnerable, with militants in the past targeting cities like Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Punjab to track listed extremists with GPS devices amid rising militant violence in Pakistan
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Punjab to track listed extremists with GPS devices amid rising militant violence in Pakistan
- The province’s home department has approved the deployment of 1,500 tracking devices in the first phase
- The decision will help enable round-the-clock surveillance of Fourth Schedule individuals with tracking bands
Pakistan PM in Austria to strengthen economic ties on first official visit in over 30 years
- PM Shehbaz Sharif will meet Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, address Pakistan–Austria Business Forum
- The Pakistan premier says the focus of his interactions would be on trade, investment and economic cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Vienna on Sunday on a two-day visit to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation, marking the first official visit by a Pakistani premier to Austria in over three decades.
Sharif is undertaking the visit, which marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, at Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker’s invitation, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
This marks the first visit by any Pakistani prime minister to Austria in more than three decades since then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also Sharif’s elder brother, visited the country in 1992.
Sharif, accompanied by a high-level delegation, was warmly welcomed by Austrian officials and presented a salute by a contingent of Austrian armed forces upon arrival at the Vienna airport, his office said.
“Wheels down in Vienna, a city of history, culture and global diplomacy,” the Pakistan premier said on X late Sunday, adding that he looked forward to his meeting with Chancellor Stocker.
“Our focus shall be on trade, investment and economic cooperation.”
He said he was also keen to engage with the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and United Nations Industrial Development Organization to deepen cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy, counter-narcotics and crime control, sustainable industrial development and shared progress.
During the visit, Sharif’s office said, the prime minister will also address the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum and co-chair with the Austrian chancellor a meeting of leading businessmen to increase investment between the two countries.
Islamabad and Vienna enjoy cooperation in the domains of trade, economy, culture and education, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry. Sharif’s visit will establish new dimensions to the Pakistan-Austria relations.
