Pakistan’s army chief says action against illegal activities to continue with ‘full force’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief General Syed Asim Munir said on Friday that the government and law enforcement agencies would continue to take action against illegal activities harming the country’s economic interests “with full force,” the state-run Radio Pakistan said in a report.
Pakistan launched a nationwide crackdown against currency smugglers, hoarders, and black marketers in its bid to stave off an economic crisis that has significantly weakened the country’s national currency, causing its reserves to deplete and inflation to skyrocket to unprecedented levels.
Following the crackdown, Pakistan has seen a marked improvement in its national currency. On Friday, the rupee appreciated by 0.33 percent to stand at Rs282.69 against the US dollar when trading ended, up from Rs283.62 from the other day.
“Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir says law enforcement agencies and other government departments will continue action against illegal activities with full force to deny pilferage of resources and economic losses due to these activities,” the report said.
Munir was speaking during a meeting of the provincial apex committee in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Friday, the report said. The army chief was briefed about the revised National Action Plan, the security of foreign nationals employed under projects part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC) and the repatriation of illegal foreigners from the country.
The army chief was also briefed on measures being taken by the government to regulate foreign currency and apprised about progress on projects part of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a top civil-military government body formed in June to attract international investment in key economic sectors.
“The Army Chief called for synergy among all relevant departments for gainful effects of these landmark initiatives,” the report added.
On Tuesday, Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti gave “illegal immigrants” in Pakistan till Nov. 1 to leave the country “voluntarily” or face deportation. The move is likely to impact over a million Afghan refugees in the country who have been living in Pakistan for decades, with many of them not even officially registered.
The decision, which was criticized by the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, was taken by Pakistan after a steep rise in militant attacks across the country. Bugti said out of the 24 suicide bombings that have taken place in Pakistan since January, 14 were carried out by Afghan nationals.