ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that the US national Matthew Craig Barrett wasn’t a spy and will be deported in the next three days in the light of the findings of the joint investigation team’s report.
In his address at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, the minister said that Matthew Barrett, however, was found in objectionable activities.
Matthew Barrett, who had been blacklisted and deported from Pakistan 2011 on charges of espionage, was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at Benazir Bhutto International Airport on Saturday morning.
The interior minister said that Matthew Barrett was blacklisted by Pakistan in 2011 and deported. But he added, despite that he was issued visa by Pakistani consulate in Houston.
Chaudhry Nisar said that action is being taken against the officials, who committed negligence in issuing visa to Matthew Barrett. However, he added, the one who identified him will be given appreciation prize.
Talking about the Pakistan-India tension, the minister said that dialogue is the only option for both the country to resolve their issues but New Delhi always closed the door for talks and also maligned Islamabad.
The minister said that no Pakistani can remain silent over the atrocities being committed against the people of the occupied Kashmir by the Indian forces. He said that the people of Pakistan are emotionally attached with the Kashmiris and rightly protested against the recent violence of the Indian forces in the occupied Kashmir.
In addition, the minister said that the world has recognized Pakistan’s successes in the war on terrorism. He said that terrorists are on the run, and they are desperately hitting soft targets.
The interior minister said that 20,000 intelligence-based operations have been carried out which helped to prevent several terrorist attacks.
Nisar regretted that the terrorists are getting support from across the border.
