Dar deserves praise not insults: Ahsan

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Wednesday Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar shouldn’t be insulted but appreciated and praised for his services.

Talking to the media after attending the 33rd Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists here, he said the government was considering placing Dar’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Ahsan said sit-in politics was a conspiracy against free, fair and transparent general election, and it was creating politico-economic instability in the country. He urged all political forces to work together to put the country on the fast track of economic development and social prosperity. He said the general election was only five months away and some elements were out to sabotage the whole process for holding a free, fair and transparent election.

He said conspiracies were also being hatched to create an uneven situation for the Senate election.

Ahsan warned that prolonging the interim setup would affect the credibility of next election, adding that all political parties should strive for ensuring the 2018 general election on time and smooth transfer of power to the next elected government.

“Free, fair and transparent election on time and transfer of power to the next elected government will give a positive message to the international community and restore their confidence in us,” Ahsan added. To a question, the minister said the government had done a lot of work on Fata reforms in order to bring the area on a par with other areas of the country. “The aim of delaying Fata reforms is to create complete consensus by bringing all the stakeholders on board,” he said.

He said the government was also working to provide similar rights to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan being enjoyed by the other areas of the country. To another question, the minister said fluctuation in dollar rate in local markets was due to increasing trend of petroleum prices and some adjustments made in the market.

He said fluctuation would benefit the local exporters. He said Pakistan had signed agreements with different countries for exchange of prisoners by completing all the legal formalities. He said the culprits involved in Karachi factory fire incident would be brought to justice, adding that no one would be allowed to create any law and order situation in the country.

Highlighting the economic performance of the government, he said when the PML-N government came into power in 2013, the country was facing power loadshedding for 18 to 20 hours per day, which badly affected the agricultural and industrial sectors of the country.

Under such circumstances, he said, the government initiated its journey and introduced Vision 2025, focusing on every aspect of socio-economic development of the country, which faced huge criticism from the opponents. He said due to continued efforts of the government the country’s economic situation had improved and over 50 percent feeders had zero loadshedding, while the industrial sector was getting uninterrupted power supply across the country. He called upon the media to promote a positive image of the country and the successes being achieved during last four years to send a positive message to world.

APC for LEAs: Meanwhile, addressing a handover ceremony of 11 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) at the National Police Academy, Ahsan emphasised that the police had the important role to deal with challenges facing the country including terrorism, and equipping them with modern equipment would improve their performance.

The APCs, provided by the US Embassy's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) section, would be distributed among the Islamabad Police, Frontier and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police to improve their professional capabilities.

The ceremony was attended by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr Sultan Azam Temuri, Additional IG KP Naeem Khan and Commandant FC Liaquat Ali Khan.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan said Pakistan desired a broader and comprehensive partnership with the US beyond security and particularly the education sector.

“We have to work together and show greater understanding," he said.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State highlighted the details of the programme under which the LEAs in Pakistan were being facilitated through provision of equipment and capacity building training.

He said during last 15 years 20,000 LEAs personnel, 4,000 officers and 1,000 female personnel had been imparted training which showed the US government’s commitment to help Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.

E-passport facility: Meanwhile, addressing the inaugural ceremony of E-passport here at the Interior Ministry, Ahsan said the introduction of facility would boost the country's credibility at the international level.

Giving details of the new system, he said in the first phase E-passports would be issued to government officials, including the staff of Pakistani embassies abroad, in March 2018 while in the second phase common citizens will benefit from the facility in August.

He said E-passport would help overcome the practice of misuse of passports and facilitate the public.