-Sheikh Rashid says India mourning the situation in Afghanistan
-Adds tactics of RAW, NDS reached to end
-International community asked to help Afghanistan in achieving peace, prosperity
-Pakistan reiterates call for peace in Afghanistan
By Our Diplomatic
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid said on Thursday that the Chaman border was being closed down for a short period of time due to security concerns.
According to Rashid, after observing the situation in Afghanistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has bestowed the responsibility of the interior ministry upon him. “We want peace and stability in Afghanistan. We have put up a fence on the border,” the interior minister said, adding that the situation at the Torkham border was normal.
However, he said that due to some concerns the border at Chaman was being closed temporarily. Rashid said that Pakistan’s role in the region was emerging and gaining importance, and that the time had come to take the country forward.
“However, we will not allow chaos to spread. There are no Americans left in Pakistan. Those who came have left”, he claimed. The minister added that 9,000 people out of the 10,000 who came to Pakistan from Afghanistan had returned to their home countries.
The nation is proud of the Pakistan Army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI), Rashid remarked. “India is currently mourning the situation in Afghanistan, and the politics of the Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) is over,” he maintained. Addressing a ceremony at the launch of the building of a new police station in Islamabad, Rashid said that Islamabad was our capital city and was under the watchful gaze of the world.
He said roadblocks had been removed from the city. However, the Eagle Squad will be expanded. The Islamabad police will have 1,500 new members and the 1122 helpline will be inaugurated soon too. He said the premier has instructed the Capital Development Authority chairperson regarding installing cameras in the city and called for installing cameras in every corner of Islamabad. Citing the example of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter’s ‘abduction’, he said she was rescued with the help of the CCTV footage.
According to the minister, 1,200 new cameras had been approved for the capital. Commenting on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif’s recent comments, Rashid said that the idea of a national government was “absolute nonsense”.
“There is a difference between national reconciliation and a national government; we are ready for national reconciliation,” he said. The interior minister stated that there was no long march at present, and those who demand it should sit together and take the country forward. “The opposition should march with enthusiasm. The government will take steps within its jurisdiction. Anarchy and disorder will not be allowed in the country”, he asserted.
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi Thursday said the international community should fulfill its responsibility and help Afghanistan is achieving peace, stability and prosperity. Speaking at the 4th Think Tank Forum here, he said Pakistan was supporting efforts to establish sustainable peace in Afghanistan. The use of force in Afghanistan put hurdles in the way of finding a political solution to the conflict, he added.
He said the international community was surprised on the way Afghan security forces vanished and Taliban took control of Kabul. Apparently civil war had been averted in the country, he noted.
The minister said after taking control of the government, Taliban announced general amnesty and made announcements regarding protection of rights of women, freedom of expression, provision of employment and education and setting up of an inclusive political system.
He urged the Afghan leadership to show sagacity in the present situation.
Pakistan was the only country which always advocated a peaceful solution of the Afghan conflict, he added. The minister said Pakistan would benefit most from peace and stability in Afghanistan as due to war in its neighbouring country, Pakistan suffered most and many lives were lost and its economy was adversely affected. The minister expressed sorrow over the sad demise of veteran Kashmiri leader Ali Shah Gilani and eulogised his services for the Kashmir cause.
