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* Interior Minister says govt has completely banned movement of Afghan refugees, other foreign nationals
* Says govt has also banned awarding visit visa to Afghans
Staff Report
QUETTA: Pakistan has sealed off all borders with Afghanistan in order curb the massive influx of Afghans into Pakistan, said Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Saturday.
Addressing a news conference at the CM Secretariat, the minister said that the government had imposed a complete ban on the movement of Afghan refugees and other foreign nationals by restricting their movement to the locality where they resided.
He tried to avoid direct and precise questions and decided to answer his favourite questions for obvious reasons.
For instance, a journalist asked: Do key operatives of Al Qaeda and Taliban exist in Quetta. He responded that Al Qaeda had declared that Pakistan was their enemy after the death of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for double suicide attacks in Quetta and its leadership is in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), where they are facing defeat at the hands of Pakistan Army, the minister elaborated.
Malik said that Taliban leaders had come to Quetta as they were wiped out from the remote areas. Now they target security officials and their families, he said, referring to the recent twin suicide attacks on the residence of Frontier Corps (FC) DIG Farrukh Shehzad. These Afghan refugees were given shelter here and provided with food. Now they have turned against Pakistan, the minister complained
Afghanistan is a neighbourly country but it does not mean that its nationals would be allowed to take part in terrorist activities, he clarified.
There will be a complete restriction on the movement of Afghan refugees in Balochistan and KP, the federal minister told journalists.
He said that army, Frontier Corps, police and Balochistan Levies had been asked to place a check on the free movement of Afghan refugees and other foreigners and bar them from entering major human settlements.
We have given the deadline of one month to illegal immigrants to obtain their refugee cards or otherwise they would be arrested and deported to Afghanistan after completing their sentences, Malik said.
Pakistan has also banned issuing Visit Visas to Afghans. There will be no Afghan visiting Pakistan on a Visit Visa, he added. He informed the media that NADRA had so far cancelled 90,000 ID cards and scrutiny of other ID cards was underway. We have to revive some check posts in remote parts of country by September 25. All the entry and exit points of Quetta city are also being sealed off to prevent the entry of terrorists, he added.
Afghans and other foreigners will be checked at entry points, the minister added.
The interior minister also said that a survey would soon be conducted in Quetta to collect details about alien people residing in the city. No one should rent a house to any refugee or a foreigner, the minister ordered.
He said the government had also increased inter-provincial coordination to keep a check on the movement of terrorists, as they were accustomed to changing their locations.
Responding to question on the plot to break up Pakistan, Malik said there was a grand conspiracy to destabilise the country in order to declare it a failed State, but the credit goes to army and security forces who are defending the integrity of Pakistan. This plot still exists and I appeal to all political parties, including PPP, MQM and other stake holders to bury their differences and join hands to thwart this plot.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
* Says govt has also banned awarding visit visa to Afghans
Staff Report
QUETTA: Pakistan has sealed off all borders with Afghanistan in order curb the massive influx of Afghans into Pakistan, said Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Saturday.
Addressing a news conference at the CM Secretariat, the minister said that the government had imposed a complete ban on the movement of Afghan refugees and other foreign nationals by restricting their movement to the locality where they resided.
He tried to avoid direct and precise questions and decided to answer his favourite questions for obvious reasons.
For instance, a journalist asked: Do key operatives of Al Qaeda and Taliban exist in Quetta. He responded that Al Qaeda had declared that Pakistan was their enemy after the death of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for double suicide attacks in Quetta and its leadership is in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), where they are facing defeat at the hands of Pakistan Army, the minister elaborated.
Malik said that Taliban leaders had come to Quetta as they were wiped out from the remote areas. Now they target security officials and their families, he said, referring to the recent twin suicide attacks on the residence of Frontier Corps (FC) DIG Farrukh Shehzad. These Afghan refugees were given shelter here and provided with food. Now they have turned against Pakistan, the minister complained
Afghanistan is a neighbourly country but it does not mean that its nationals would be allowed to take part in terrorist activities, he clarified.
There will be a complete restriction on the movement of Afghan refugees in Balochistan and KP, the federal minister told journalists.
He said that army, Frontier Corps, police and Balochistan Levies had been asked to place a check on the free movement of Afghan refugees and other foreigners and bar them from entering major human settlements.
We have given the deadline of one month to illegal immigrants to obtain their refugee cards or otherwise they would be arrested and deported to Afghanistan after completing their sentences, Malik said.
Pakistan has also banned issuing Visit Visas to Afghans. There will be no Afghan visiting Pakistan on a Visit Visa, he added. He informed the media that NADRA had so far cancelled 90,000 ID cards and scrutiny of other ID cards was underway. We have to revive some check posts in remote parts of country by September 25. All the entry and exit points of Quetta city are also being sealed off to prevent the entry of terrorists, he added.
Afghans and other foreigners will be checked at entry points, the minister added.
The interior minister also said that a survey would soon be conducted in Quetta to collect details about alien people residing in the city. No one should rent a house to any refugee or a foreigner, the minister ordered.
He said the government had also increased inter-provincial coordination to keep a check on the movement of terrorists, as they were accustomed to changing their locations.
Responding to question on the plot to break up Pakistan, Malik said there was a grand conspiracy to destabilise the country in order to declare it a failed State, but the credit goes to army and security forces who are defending the integrity of Pakistan. This plot still exists and I appeal to all political parties, including PPP, MQM and other stake holders to bury their differences and join hands to thwart this plot.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
