Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 5 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday held protests at 17 locations across 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh, accusing the ruling Congress state government of failing to take action against Pakistani nationals, both legal and illegal, residing in the state.

Leading the protest in the state capital, Shimla, BJP Himachal Pradesh President Rajeev Bindal said that the issue of Pakistani nationals living in India is of utmost national importance and was 'taken seriously by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government at the Centre'.

'This is a very important issue. The Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji called an all-party meeting where all political parties across the country showed solidarity. The Government of India then took a decision that all Pakistani nationals residing in India must leave the country, and a circular to that effect was sent to all state governments,' Bindal said during the protest.

He alleged that despite the central government's directive, the Himachal Pradesh Congress-led government had shown no seriousness in acting on it.

'But the Himachal Pradesh government has failed to act. Why is this government not taking any steps? They must go to the ground level and search. Many incidents have come to light, people who came 25-30 years ago from Pakistan have settled here and even managed to become voters in India,' he said.

Bindal expressed concern over what he described as a dangerous laxity by the state administration, warning that such negligence could turn Himachal into a safe haven for foreign infiltrators.

'Our country is turning into a 'sarai' (inn) in this manner. This is why Prime Minister Modi's decision and the NDA government's step have received support from all parties. So why is the Himachal Pradesh government backing away from this decision?' he said.

He emphasized that the BJP had taken to the streets to raise awareness and pressure the state government to act.

'That is why the Bharatiya Janata Party has come out on the streets today. Through this protest and memorandum, we want to alert the Himachal government. Whoever the Pakistani nationals are residing in the state--find them immediately and deport them,' he demanded.

Calling on the state administration and police for action, Dr. Bindal urged that the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) should be actively working on this and must already have intelligence inputs.

'This information has to be gathered. It is the job of the administration and the police. They must act now. CID must already be on the job--they will have the data. We must identify and eliminate such foreign hideouts. They are a threat to us, and we need to take this seriously,' he warned.

Bindal also criticized the state government for internal disarray and failing to prioritize public welfare.

'In the next two days, the state government is supposed to hold a cabinet meeting. Let the Congress government continue fighting among themselves, we're not concerned about that. What worries us is that the people of the state are suffering while the government and the party are busy fighting internally,' he said.

'The cabinet meetings go on, but nothing is being done for the public. At least take some action,' he added. (ANI)