ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday endorsed the government’s decision to launch a deportation drive against unregistered foreigners in Pakistan, calling them a threat to the country’s security and saying the repatriation process was being carried out in a dignified way.
The government announced in October to expel “illegal migrants,” mostly Afghans, following a string of extremist attacks and suicide bombings in Pakistan which were blamed on a proscribed militant network, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose leadership is said to be based in Afghanistan.
While the Pakistani authorities did not say they were exclusively targeting Afghans, they maintained there was evidence that Afghan nationals in the country were involved in organized crime and had carried out 14 out of 24 suicide bombings since January this year.
According to the military’s media wing, ISPR, the army chief received a detailed briefing on the overall security situation, including the ongoing counterterrorism operations and deportation of foreigners, during his visit to Peshawar in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
“Illegal foreigners were seriously affecting Pakistan’s security and economy,” he maintained during his visit. “Decision to repatriate them has been taken by the government in the interest of Pakistan. Illegal foreigners are being repatriated to their countries in a humane and dignified manner as per the established norms.”
International rights organizations have criticized the arrests and deportation of Afghan nationals by Pakistani authorities in recent weeks amid harassment complaints by registered refugees.
The army chief praised the people of KP for their “resolute support” to the security force, saying it had resulted in stability in the province and materialization of progress on projects of socio-economic development.
“Nation takes pride and acknowledges the accomplishments of its Armed Forces,” he added. “Pakistan is destined to succeed and Pakistan Army will continue to undertake its selfless and sacred duty of safeguarding every inch of the motherland till last drop of blood.”
He also learned about the socio-economic developments of the country’s erstwhile tribal territories along the northwestern border with Afghanistan that witnessed a lot of volatility in the wake of the post-9/11 international invasion of the region and that have frequently complained about being underdeveloped.
The tribal belt, which acted as a buffer zone separating Pakistan from Afghanistan, was merged with the rest of the KP province in 2018, though it still requires plenty of funds for its development.
Army chief backs deportation drive, says illegal foreigners ‘seriously affecting’ Pakistani security, economy
https://arab.news/matcj
Army chief backs deportation drive, says illegal foreigners ‘seriously affecting’ Pakistani security, economy
- General Asim Munir says the repatriation process is taking place ‘in a humane and dignified manner’
- The army chief also inquires about the socio-economic development of the erstwhile tribal territories
Pakistan, global crypto exchange discuss modernizing digital payments, creating job prospects
- Pakistani officials, Binance team discuss coordination between Islamabad, local banks and global exchanges
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance officials and the team of a global cryptocurrency exchange on Friday held discussions aimed at modernizing the country’s digital payments system and building local talent pipelines to meet rising demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, the finance ministry said.
The development took place during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib, domestic bank presidents and a Binance team led by Global CEO Richard Teng. The meeting was held to advance work on Pakistan’s National Digital Asset Framework, a regulatory setup to govern Pakistan’s digital assets.
Pakistan has been moving to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight, and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Participants reviewed opportunities to modernize Pakistan’s digital payments landscape, noting that blockchain-based systems could significantly reduce costs from the country’s $38 billion annual remittance flows,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
“Discussions also emphasized building local talent pipelines to meet rising global demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, creating high-value employment prospects for Pakistani youth.”
Blockchain is a type of digital database that is shared, transparent and tamper-resistant. Instead of being stored on one computer, the data is kept on a distributed network of computers, making it very hard to alter or hack.
Web3 refers to the next generation of the Internet built using blockchain, focusing on giving users more control over their data, identity and digital assets rather than big tech companies controlling it.
Participants of the meeting also discussed sovereign debt tokenization, which is the process of converting a country’s debt such as government bonds, into digital tokens on a blockchain, the ministry said.
Aurangzeb called for close coordination between the government, domestic banks and global exchanges to modernize Pakistan’s payment landscape.
Participants of the meeting also discussed considering a “time-bound amnesty” to encourage users to move assets onto regulated platforms, stressing the need for stronger verifications and a risk-mitigation system.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, crack down on money laundering and terror financing, and promote responsible innovation — a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
