ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Wednesday said the bill presented in the US Senate could bring more difficulties for Pakistan but we will not surrender before any pressure.

Talking to reporters after addressing a function of women chamber of commerce, he said that the bill presented in the US senate could bring more difficulties but Pakistan will not surrender.

Pakistan will not leave alone their Afghan brothers, he said, adding we also stand with the world and the world should also support the new Afghanistan.

“We want that the world should unfreeze funds of Afghanistan,” he said.

He said that Pakistan has evacuated around 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the world praised the arrangements made by Pakistan at Torkham and Chaman borders.

The facilitation centres set up at Torkham and Chaman borders will continue work till October 30th, he said.

The minister said that the brain drain continued from Afghanistan and around 120,000 people have been evacuated by the US.

The minister rejected the allegation that Pakistan is helping Taliban and said that we have brought Taliban on the table and facilitated dialogue between Taliban and the USA.

He said that we want peace and development in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan wants that world should also play role in the development of Afghanistan, so that there should be peace in the world,” he said.

Regarding pulling out of New Zealand cricket team from Pakistan tour, he said that New Zealand team left in haste and India has played a vital role in it.

Our people are fan of cricket but will not die, if cricket is not played for some time, he said, adding that Pakistan had deployed more security for the New Zealand cricket team than the entire forces of New Zealand.

Rashid said that he had predicted that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will split into two parts, but now it seems that there will be three fractions in the PML-N.

If a clean chit has been given to Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman Shehbaz then he should come back to Pakistan along with Nawaz Sharif, he said.

About the rising inflation in the country, he said that the prices of food items have increased; therefore, the government will soon subsidise main food items including ghee, sugar and wheat flour, and some medicine for provision of relief to the masses.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021