Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi has urged the opposition parties to rise above petty political differences and support the government on implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).
“If the opposition parties want to see durable peace in the country, they need to rise above petty political differences and sit with the government and work jointly for necessary legislation,” he said while responding to a query about opposition’s reluctance to support implementation of NAP. “We have formed experts groups to help legislate and address our lacunae whether it is reforming our criminal justice system or other institutional reforms. We are also working on our national security policy which will soon be made public. We need opposition’s support on these national issues,” he added, while talking to reporters at the concluding ceremony of five-day spring festival held at the Kohat Garrison.
“After achieving durable peace, the development process has started. By launching institutional reforms and a vibrant visa regime, we have opened Pakistan to the world. Now investors, tourists are welcomed and all state institutions stand ready and united to welcome the investors who will get maximum profit in Pakistan. We have rich oil, gas, mineral reserves; we have a lot to offer to the world. Just come and explore Pakistan,” the minister said, adding that the visa regime has been revolutionised and entire Pakistan has been opened for exploration. He said that visa fee has been almost withdrawn while online visa and on-arrival visa policy has been launched. He said recently a tourism summit was held in Pakistan to showcase the rich tourism potential of the country.
The minister warned that some hostile forces are trying to paint a negative perception of Pakistan. “As the saying goes ‘seeing is believing’, it is necessary for the world to come and see Pakistan’s true image. We have invited senior diplomats who are here to attend the spring festival. Now they will tell the world our story,” he said.
Responding to a question about Pakistan’s report to be submitted to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) next week, the minister said Pakistan is not acting against proscribed organisations under pressure from the world. “Rather, we have to transform Pakistan into a state that no one can ever point a finger at. We have to do it for the good of our future generations. We are not complying under any pressure. We are taking all steps as a responsible and credible state,” he said.
Spelling out the measures taken by the PTI government, the minister said that by year 2015, there was no regulatory body to monitor the international non-government organisations (INGOs). He said the PTI took action against all proscribed organisations across the board, while taking all the state institutions on board. “The government has taken over all religious seminaries, ambulances, dispensaries, hospitals and other assets linked to the proscribed organisations. The government has also released funds to run these assets,” he added.
The minister said in its last report submitted to the FATF, the federal government had pleaded its case in such a professional manner that except India, all the member states had lauded Pakistan’s efforts while noting a reasonable improvement. “All stakeholders are working days in and days out to achieve our goal,” he said.
Shehryar Afridi said in the past whenever the FATF delegation would come, Pakistan’s case was weak because all the state institutions were found sending different vibes. However, he added, all the government departments are working jointly to comply with the world body now.
The minister said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken exemplary measures to curb human trafficking and money laundering and all land, air and sea routes have been chocked which were previously used by the proscribed organisations to raise funds for their operations. “Airport Security Force, Customs, FIA, Coast Guards, Rangers, FCs, army and other institutions have built effective setups to curb illegal movement of money, humans and drugs. We are fencing borders with our neighbouring countries. Our message to the world is that Pakistan won’t allow its soil to be used against any neighbour or distant country. Both prime minister and army chief are monitoring these operations,” he said.
Without naming Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), the minister warned those forces who were following ‘foreign agendas’ against consequences for trying to mislead the nation, saying that neither the government will come under any pressure nor will it fall into any such trap.
