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India will get matching reply, assures Moin

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Federal Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Moin Uddin Haider (Retd) on Tuesday said that the present Pakistan regime wants a peaceful solution of the occupied Kashmir issue. However, if India adopts any aggressive tactics, she would be given a tit-for-tat reply, he added.

He was addressing a seminar held under the auspices of a local daily on "world politics, Islamic world and our leaders," to pay homage to the renowned Muslim Scholar Hafiz Abudl Qadir Ropri.

The Interior minister said: "we should resolve our problems with harmony and the present government should be given time to put things on the right track."

He said that the present government was trying to build national institutions in order to give stability to the society.

He said Pakistan's political parties were asset of the country but they should hold elections within the parties and chalk out workable programmes for national uplift and public welfare.

He said when a proper system was formed democracy would not be derailed again and again.

To a question, he replied that the government did not want to send Dr. Farooq Sattar in jail, adding that he should approach the court and fight his case.

He said such persons should approach the courts and if courts set them at liberty, the government would not disturb them. He said that the courts were free to provide justice to the people in accordance with the law.

To another question, he replied that the government had put an iron hand on all those employees of Pakistan Steel Mills, who were not working, but drawing huge salaries and perks.

He said the display of arms would not be allowed after March 1, adding that a comprehensive policy would be announced later in this regard.

To a query about the counsels of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, he said they had concluded cross examination, therefore, they had no justification to withdraw from the further proceedings of the case.

Mohammad Ahmed Al-Roomi, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Prof. Sajid Mir, Maulana Samilul Haq and Jehangir Badar also spoke on the occasion.