By IANS
Islamabad : The Pakistani government has put the names of over 2,000 activists of 18 outlawed groups on a watch list.
This effectively bars them from leaving their hometowns without permission of the district coordination officers, according to interior ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema.
Cheema told reporters that security agencies were monitoring the movement of the people on the watch list, the Dawn reported Wednesday.
"People on the watch list have submitted affidavits, giving assurance to limit their involvement in political activities, public meetings, anti-government campaigns and even travel outside their hometowns without prior permission. If they are found to be involved in violating pledges on the affidavits, they can be arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act," he said.
The groups banned by the government include Al Qaeda, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Sipah-i-Muhammad Pakistan, Jaish-i-Muhammad, Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Tehrik-i-Jafriya, Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-i-Muhammadi, Tehrik-i-Islam (formerly Tehrik-i-Jafriya Pakistan), Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan (formerly Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan), Islami Tehrik Pakistan, Jamiatul Ansar, Jamiatul Furqan, Hizbul Tehrir, Khair-un-Naas International Trust, Balochitan Liberation Army and Islamic Students Movement of Pakistan.
Activists of the Sunni Tehrik and the Jamaat-ul-Dawa are also under strict surveillance.