Curbing corruption, retrieving wealth abroad biggest challenges for govt: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that curbing corruption and retrieving wealth of the country, amassed through illegal means and laundered abroad, are among the biggest challenges for the government.

PM Imran made the remarks during a detailed briefing on the Ministry of Interior and its attached department at Prime Minister’s Office.

Adviser to PM on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Secretary Interior Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, Secretary to Prime Minister Azam Khan, Special Assistants Naeem-ul-Haq and Iftikhar Durrani, Shahryar Afridi, and senior officers heading various attached departments of the ministry were present during the meeting.

Secretary Interior made a detailed presentation about the functions of the interior ministry and its attached departments.

He also briefed the prime minister about various steps taken by the ministry, including adoption of legislative measures and policies, to combat terrorism, prevent smuggling, human trafficking and curbing electronic and other crimes.

PM Inran remarked said that curbing corruption and retrieving wealth of the country amassed through illegal means and laundered abroad were among the biggest challenge for the government.

He said that every effort would be made to accomplish these goals besides putting in place a robust system that could prove itself as an effective deterrent against such malpractices in future.

The prime minister emphasised upon the need for greater coordination between Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to fight white collar crimes and other corrupt practices.

He said that overseas Pakistanis are the most valuable asset of the country and are willing to bring their money and invest in various sectors of the economy. However, he said they need to provide them an enabling environment ensuring safety and security of their lives and property.

He said that the interior ministry and its attached departments should play their role more effectively towards ensuring service delivery, improving overall security situation in the country providing a sense of security to the citizens.