Kakar said detailed deliberations were held on the Afghan transit trade and the reopening of Torkham border. The commerce ministry has taken a lead along with border management authorities including customs in revising the policy to allow or restrict the trade items, he said. He dismissed the impression that checking on smuggling would deny a source of livelihood to the locals residing along the bordering areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The people of these provinces deserve a correct and healthy environment of trade, not smuggling, he said. 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. He 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.He mentioned that the apex committee was working with a focused approach on the tactical and strategic angles of the newly emerging terror threats.The prime minister said the priority of the caretaker government was to provide the inflation-hit people relief through administrative measures. We want to assure the people of the country that the caretaker government, whether it stays in office either for one or one-and-a-half months, will prove effective in its governance,” he said.

He mentioned chairing a meeting this morning that discussed the monitoring, implementation, and future strategy over the decisions taken a week ago on smuggling, power theft, and hoarding Asked about the hike in petroleum prices thrice during the tenure of the caretaker government, he said the matter was beyond domestic control and was linked to the global increase. He mentioned that the government was focusing on providing relief by improving the approach of governance. He hinted at announcing in the near future the easy installments for electricity consumers with up to 200 units of electricity usage.

To a question on the nexus of politicians and public officials involved in misappropriation, he said, “We have to break this cycle on priority to get effective results followed by stern action against the responsible ones.” “We will take action on adopting a due process without fear and favour, and will take them to the court of law,” he said. On the political alignment of Fawad Hasan Fawad and Ahad Cheema who were included in the caretaker setup, Kakar said he considered them both “capable and integrated individuals of society with their prime identity as former civil servants”. “I don’t think they have ever been the members or office-holders of any political party,” he said.

Kakar said the government believed in the freedom of media and rejected the notion of stifling it. “A normal media ecosystem is in place and there is no bar on the outlets, even on airing criticism on the caretaker government,” he said.calling the NAB law amendments made by the previous parliament and struck down by the Supreme Court a “good legislation”, said the government would decide its future course of action on the basis of law department’s recommendations. The prime minister, in an interview with a private television channel, said in the form of accountability departments in provinces and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at the Centre, the country had different layers of accountability. There was a need to synchronise their functions and define TORs (terms of reference) for their powers. “In this regard, I think it was a good legislation.

Why the Supreme Court struck it down, we will see into the reasons and come up with our position after getting details,” he commented. The prime minister said the accountability system was necessary for a functional democracy to keep a vigil on public office-holders, but any accountability process should not paralyse the system. Asked whether the government would assist NAB if it sought custody of those whose cases were reopened after the Supreme Court verdict, including Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and others, the prime minister said the Federal Government had the constitutional duty to assist the department taking any legal action and it was out of question not to extend any such support. Commenting about his NAB case, the prime minister requested the relevant department to conclude it and make all of its findings public. About the crackdown on power theft and smuggling