Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi on Thursday said that the "unprecedented crackdown on proscribed organisations" by the federal and provincial governments was launched after taking all stakeholders into confidence, a press release issued by the ministry said.

Briefing a group of diplomats in Islamabad on the government’s actions against banned outfits, the minister said that all the key stakeholders, including opposition and religious parties, military and intelligence agencies were taken on board prior to the crackdown.

“The action taken against proscribed organisations is our own decision adopted under the National Action Plan (NAP), which all the political forces had signed in 2014. Our message is loud and clear: no one will be allowed to challenge the writ of the state. The use of our land against any country will not be allowed,” the press release quoted the minister as saying.

The minister of state said that "the government was not taking actions under any sort of pressure from the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) or any other organisation," stressing that it was the "responsibility of the state to do so for the well-being of its future generations".

Editorial: Action required

Afridi said that the prime minister had met with leading religious scholars from all sects, including Wafaqul Madaris, Wafaq Ittehad Tanzeem and Islamic Ideology Council, who he said, had "assured the premier that they stand by the decisions taken by the federal government at all levels".

He urged the diplomatic community to play a bridging role so that Pakistan’s true image could be projected to the world.

“We are taking action against human trafficking, money laundering and the drug trade. For this purpose, we are fencing our borders and all exit and entry points are being monitored and patrolling is being done in a professional manner.

"We are also monitoring banking channels besides launching operations against Hawala and Hundi. We have choked currency movements from all airports and officials of customs, FIA, Anti Narcotics Force and Airport Security Force are taking strict measures to block illegal currency and drugs."