Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq on Wednesday said a number of Afghan nationals living in Pakistan illegally were involved in terrorism and crimes, as adding that the country had every right to deport the illegal migrants.

The rising terrorism in Pakistan after the recent provocative statements issued by the Afghan nationals [about Islamabad’s decision to send home all the illegal foreigners] was very significant, Kakar said.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, he said Kabul must hand over all those persons who were behind the terror activities in Pakistan, which had already provided the list of wanted terrorists to the Afghan Taliban.

However, he regretted that the Afghan interim government had not taken any action against those involved in cross-border terrorism – a clear reference to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups.

Taking action against the TTP was in the interest of both countries, Kakar made in clear and said that the threatening statements issued by Kabul were unfortunate.

Pakistan decided to take steps for tackling the situation after Kabul didn’t give a positive reaction, he said in reference to the moves like the deportation of illegal foreign residents, adding that the statements issued by the Kabul officials made it impossible to solve the matters amicably.

Kakar noted that Pakistan had witnessed a 60 per cent rise in terrorism acts after the interim government (Taliban) came into power in Afghanistan. The Afghan interim government must realise that the two neighbours were independent countries, he added.

The caretaker prime minister said Pakistan had every right to fix the affairs within the country. Islamabad had been trying to make the world community pay attention to the issue, he said, adding that a United Nations report too had mentioned the role of Afghanistan-based terrorists in the terrorism acts in Pakistan.

NOT A FIFTH PROVINCE

Replying to several questions related to the deportation of illegal Afghan nationals and the reaction of nationalists parties in Pakistan, the caretaker prime minister said some people were taking refuge in the illegal foreigners and Pakhtun nationalism. Unregulated cross-border movement should never be allowed, Kakar stated.

He rejected the attempt to create an impression that Pakhtuns were being targeted while mentioning that he himself was a Pakhtun. Targeting Pakhtuns was unacceptable, Kakar told reporters.

Some people used to describe Afghanistan as Pakistan’s fifth province, he recalled and again made it clear that illegal foreigners would never be allowed to live in the country while also ruling out the possibility of any policy change. “We are announcing that Afghanistan is separate independent country.”

He recalled that Pakistan was at war against terrorists but stated that terror incidents had nothing to do with the February 8 elections. “We should reply to the terrorists in the same fashion.”

It was a duty of every citizen to get the computerised national identity card (CNIC) with the state being duty bound to issue it to every citizen, he said, while also promising the CNIC for everyone who was a Pakistan national by birth.

CURRENCY AND FOREIGN WEAPONS

About the local currency, Kakar was of the view that the fluctuation in the dollar exchange rate was because of the market, adding that any increase of one or two rupees in its price was not a significant development.

The caretaker prime minister, however, admitted that foreign-made weapons were being traded in black market and used not only in Pakistan but also in the entire region – describing it an alarming trend.