ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet on Tuesday reiterated its stance that India was making constant efforts to sabotage Afghanistan peace process and said it should not meddle in affairs of the land-locked country.
“India must stay away from the whole process going on in Afghanistan as it is neither its neighbour, nor has any role in Afghanistan peace process,” Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said while briefing the media about Federal Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He lashed out at India for using Afghan soil during previous government, led by Ashraf Ghani, to sponsor terrorism in Pakistan and said now its media had been on the forefront to sabotage the Afghan peace process through baseless propaganda campaign.
Fawad said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi apprised the Cabinet of the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
He said the Cabinet was informed that Pakistan was carrying out serious efforts for the evacuation of foreign nationals from Kabul.” We are facilitating the evacuation of thousands of people of different nationalities from Afghanistan’s capital Kabul”, he added.
He said the Pakistan International Airlines had so far facilitated evacuation of over 1,500 people from Kabul. Pakistan was also taking steps to open its borders for evacuating of foreign nationals from Afghanistan, he added.
About government formation process, he said Pakistan was playing a responsible role and in close contact with Afghan authorities, in addition to other countries including Turkey and China.
He said the Foreign Minister would leave for Central Asia shortly to hold consultations on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
Pakistan had always advocated for a political solution to the Afghan problem, he said, adding the situation would have been better, provided its advice had been heeded to.
The minister told the media that Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan gave a detailed briefing on Internet voting and Electronic Voting Machines to the Cabinet.
He said the government had been in contact with the opposition on EVMs and granting voting right to overseas Pakistanis.
Stressing for voting right to the expats, he said they had been massively contributing to the national economy by sending record remittances, which reflected that they had full trust in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said it was on record that all elections in the country were marred by accusations of poll rigging in the past.
Terming PML-N as an obstacle in carrying out electoral reforms, he said the party never came to the power without rigging.
He alleged that opposition parties were conspiring to deprive over 9 million Pakistani expatriates from the right of vote, adding steps being taken by the government for transparent elections, were in line with the judicial commission recommendations formed after the PTI’s demand for opening of four constituencies after 2013 elections.
The minister said the Cabinet also discussed specific incidents of harassment of women and decided that guidance by intellectuals and civil society would be sought through holding high level consultative process to decide a way forward.
He said the Cabinet was given a briefing on the state of economy and economic indicators and added Pakistan’s economy was stabilizing due to remittances (foreign exchange) of overseas Pakistanis.
He said that corona virus outbreak has put additional pressure on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab health sectors. He said about 70 per cent oxygen was being used for corona virus patients and if the situation persisted, oxygen supply to industrial sector would be suspended to ensure its use for medical purposes.
He said that Dr Muhammad Ashfaq has been appointed as the new chairman of FBR.
He said that the cabinet was informed that economic indicators were positive, exports had increased while inflation had shown downward trend during the past three months.
He said that in the international market, prices of edible items had increased but they had stabilised in Pakistan.
He said that the cabinet accorded approval to a pending Ordinance under which those elected members of the assemblies, not taking oath within 60 days after election, would lose their seat.
He said that cabinet gave approval to prices of 37 medicines now being produced in Pakistan. He said that prices of 13 medicines were marginally increased to discourage their back marketing.
Replying to questions of media persons, he said Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was in disarray after the its funding from India had come to an end. It was a positive development and good news for Pakistan, he added.
“As far as their operation from inside Pakistan are concerned, we are not a weak state as Pakistan Army and Security Forces have a capacity to deal with such challenges,” he said, adding discontinuation of funding would give a deadly blow to the TTP.
He pointed out that the authorities in Afghanistan had announced that no one would be allowed to use its territory against Pakistan. It was a positive development, he said, expressing hope that the authorities in Afghanistan would ensure its implementation.
Fawad hoped that Afghanistan would cooperate with Pakistan for extradition of top terrorists including members of Baloch Liberation Army and TTP, hiding in the landlocked country.
About future of the multi-party opposition alliance — Pakistan Democratic Alliance, he said they would continue to hold marriage ceremonies in London and build new flats there for their off-springs.
“Let’s see when Maulana Fazal ur Rehman will go London for greeting the newly-wed couple,” he said, adding Maryam Safdar also wanted to go there to congratulate his son Junaid Safdar on the wedding.
To a question regarding the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority, he said the Federal Cabinet was briefed about the proposed bill wherein Prime Minister Imran Khan directed for carrying out thorough consultation in this regard.
He said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting would involve more stakeholders in the consultation process.
The minister ruled out any change in the proposed bill with regard to the contractual enforcement of media workers and fake news and said other than that all the amendments from journalist community, would be welcome.
He said it was ironical that some journalists unions were toeing the line of media owners.
About Pakistan’s relations with the United States, he said US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken had spoken to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi three times, while Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was in contact with American Central Command’s Chief.
Close consultation process between the Pakistan Army leadership and Pentagon and Defence Department was underway, he added.
At the moment, there were two tracks underway with regard to Afghan peace process, he said, adding one was ongoing among regional countries including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Central Asian States, while another standard dialogue was in Doha, Qatar which involved Pakistan, China, Russia and the US.
Both the tracks were going on simultaneously, he added.
He said Pakistan was regional power and its involvement in Afghanistan peace process was crucial.

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