Islamabad (Web Desk): Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq on Friday expressed the determination to a relentless campaign to deal with the issues of power pilferage, hoarding and smuggling.
Chairing a high level meeting in Islamabad today, he said this campaign will be taken forward in a coordinated manner with the cooperation of all the four provinces, the Radio Pakistan reported.
PM Kakar expressed his satisfaction over the actions taken against smuggling, hoarding and power pilferage over the last few days. He appreciated the efforts of the provincial chief secretaries and Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs) in this regard.
The premier noted an increased vigilance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces against smuggling and highlighted the intervention of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in addressing areas of concern.
PM Kakar emphasized the need for gradually improving the performance of civil institutions to better deal with governance related challenges.
Meanwhile, addressing the media in Islamabad, the interim prime minister said that decisions regarding power pilferage, hoarding and smuggling will be implemented vigorously.
He said that those involved in illegal practices will be taken to the court of law and due process will be followed, he added.
The premier announced the revival of price control committees, which will be led by the planning, development and special initiatives ministry in coordination with provincial authorities.
Asked about the involvement of Afghan refugees involved in cross-border smuggling, Kakar said an effective policy in this regard had been agreed upon.
He categorized the Afghans living in Pakistan into three classes including those registered with the government, aliens with no justification to reside, and those with identity theft.
“We will push the [Afghan] aliens back to their country and no one without the visa regime will be allowed to live here,” he said.
Kakar regretted that the previous lenient approach in this regard resulted in various social evils.
He also pointed out the risk of smuggling leading to the strengthening of terrorist outfits and non-state actors.
“Non-state actors take their space under dysfunctional setup and we are determined to target them,” he said, terming counter-terrorism a priority for the caretaker government.
