Minister says Pakistan to deport US citizen after probe

The minister said that no Pakistani can remain silent over the atrocities being committed against the people of the occupied Kashmir by the Indian forces. He said that terrorists are on the run, and they are desperately hitting soft targets.

Reacting to Nisar’s press conference on Friday, Shah said that the interior minister was to blame for the prevailing security situation in the country. Interior minister said that a military operation in Kashmir by the Indian forces shall not be acceptable for any Pakistani.

Talking on CNICs tree system, Nisar said 3 crore, 12 lac CNIC have been verified through this system while 33 lac people have responded the ministry’s message about CNICs from their mobile. He added that the lunch arranged for the delegates of different countries that took part in the conference was not organised by him.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan confirmed on Friday that Matthew Barrett, the blacklisted United States national who was deported in 2011, is not a spy and the same has been confirmed by a joint investigation team (JIT) report.

The interior minister said that Matthew Barrett was blacklisted by Pakistan in 2011 and deported. Nisar also regretted that terrorists were getting support from across the border.

The Interior minister also lambasted those who criticised the National Action Plan (NAP), stating that those who had not even read the NAP were analysing it. He added that Barrett was issued a visa despite his name being in the blacklist.

Referring to the verification campaign of computerized national identity cards, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said over thirty-one million cards have been verified. He said 30, 000 intruders have been identified so far, who have been blocked.

He appealed to the people and the media to make this national campaign a success. He, however, said that the opposition was not serious in measures against corruption; rather it was exploiting the issue to secure vested interests. “Before mounting Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on containers, he should be asked from where Surrey palace and Swiss bank money was earned”, he said.

Chaudhary Nisar stated that he appreciated former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for the first time, adding that some members of PPP stated that the party leader did not need his appreciation. He said that Barrett was not accused of espionage but he was detained from a sensitive area.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said undue criticism of the security agencies is no service to the country.

Shah clarified that PPP never contacted Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif for the release of Ayyan Ali or Dr Asim, adding that Nisar should enquire about this from the PM himself. “It is my duty as the interior minister to refute the wrong impression created about security agencies”, he said.