High-Level Committee Formed to Make Pakistan a ‘Hard State’

A high-level committee comprising federal and provincial officials has been activated to implement measures aimed at making Pakistan a “hard state”. The 15-member committee will be led by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and includes home secretaries from all provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Representatives from sensitive security agencies and officials from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) are also part of the committee. One of the key responsibilities of the committee will be overseeing the repatriation of Afghan nationals. The committee will monitor the process to ensure its effective implementation while addressing any challenges that may arise. Additionally, it will review operations against illegal fuel trade and smuggling, aiming to curb these activities that negatively impact the economy and national security. The committee has also been tasked with tackling the growing trend of Pakistanis begging in Saudi Arabia. This issue has raised concerns at both domestic and international levels, and the committee will develop strategies to prevent individuals from engaging in such activities abroad. Another important area of focus will be the digitalization of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at the provincial level. The committee will assess the progress of digital reforms within FBR, which are intended to improve tax collection, increase transparency, and reduce corruption in the system. The committee will identify weaknesses in all these areas and compile recommendations for necessary actions. The formation of this committee follows recent discussions in the Parliament’s National Security Committee, where the concept of making Pakistan a hard state was deliberated.