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ISLAMABAD – Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on Monday indicated that the government was working on a plan to scrutinize those non-government organization (NGOs) who are foreign funded.
Addressing the weekly press briefing at the Ministry of Interior, the interior minister said that the government was carefully looking into the cases of at least 91 NGOs, out of 27,000 such organizations that are working in the country, which are receiving major foreign funds.
“We don’t want to create any hurdle (in the working of NGOs) but would make such a mechanism so that those suspected NGOs which are working any undercover service could be probed,” he said.
Sheikh Rashid also said that the government has decided to hold audit of country’s five major currency exchange companies as part of its measures to check US dollar hoarding.
He said that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 88 suspects who had alleged role in devaluing the Pakistani rupee and dollar smuggling as well as its hoarding. “A case has been registered against 47 suspects as well.”
The remarks of interior minister came at a time when the value of US dollar against Pakistani rupee has reached all-time high in the country’s history.
The minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has tasked the Ministry of Interior to stop hoarding of dollar and around a dozen suspects would likely to be arrested soon.
Replying to a question, he also said that Pakistan Customs should be asked if there was some smuggling of dollar underway from Pakistan to Afghanistan and it was not the domain of FIA.
He said that FIA has been ordered to bring to book those people who were involved in issuing fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates. The efforts of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) were being undermined through a conspiracy by such acts, he said adding that FIA has been ordered not to spare such people and arrest them immediately.
The interior minister informed the reporters that fine for having dual national identity card has been slashed to Rs 5,000 from Rs10,000 while holders of multiple passports could also surrender their passports except one before the authorities concerned by October 30 after submitting amount of fine.
He added that the amnesty on passport would be subject to approval of cabinet and the deadline could be extended.
He said that a summary was being sent to the cabinet to bring four Pak-Afghan borders crossings including Ghulam Khan, and Angoor Adda crossings under the control of FIA and Pakistan Customs on the pattern of Torkham and Chaman border crossings.
Responding to a question about the killing of a journalist in Balochistan in a terrorist attack, he said that there was need for a caution as the country was passing through most sensitive times of its life. Some big change has occurred in our neighbouring country Afghanistan and Pakistan could face its effects, he warned while referring to the recent takeover of Kabul by Taliban. “If peace would prevail in Afghanistan, there would be peace in Pakistan otherwise we would have to face effect of any unrest in the neighbouring country.”
To another question about the civil-military relations in the wake of recent reshuffle in army, the interior minister said that either Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry or Defence Minister Pervez Khattak could better answer this question. But he added that everything is all right and military transfers and postings are a routine matter. “I can only say that all matters are okay.”
Talking about the scheduled meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, to finalize its anti-government long march; the interior minister said that the opposition should take any political decision keeping in view the situation of the region. He reminded them that the next general election was fast approaching. “Whatever they are going to do, they could face the brunt of it themselves,” he warned. He said that PDM had been planning such activates in the past but the situation was different then.
He said that recent remarks of PM Imran Khan in an interview to the foreign media that any chaos in Afghanistan could make it a fertile ground of terrorists like ISIS were quite right. He said that PM aas a student of history and has asked the world to help Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds.
The minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed to bury national hero Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan in the premises of Faisal Mosque but he was buried at the graveyard in Sector H-8 of Islamabad on the request and wish of his family members.