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Time to crush seeds of hatred, minister tells NA

By Muhammad Anis
May 24, 2018

ISLAMABAD: The Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has urged all the political parties and religious scholars to fulfil their responsibilities towards eliminating the extremist mindset from the country as “it is time to crush the seeds of hatred”.

Speaking in the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday, the Interior Minister who made his appearance in the NA after the murder attempt on him, said the country had already witnessed a lot of bloodshed and anarchy. During his speech, the minister complained that the person who brought flowers for him sent by Imran Khan, later defended the attackers while sitting in a talk show of a television channel.

He said it is time to crush the seeds of hatred and establish complete peace saying with the extremist mindset, the country could not be taken forward. He said it is not the right of any person to take the life of any individual but the decision regarding the award of punishment rests only with the courts and judges. The minister said that about 2000 Pakistani religious scholars under “Paigham-e-Pakistan” have also stated that Jihad cannot be declared by an individual or a group but only the state. He said our religion also preaches peace and we should truly follow its teachings.

He said that it was very important to root out the seeds of hatred, which we have sown in this country, warning if sowing of hatred is not stopped, the explosive already spread across the society is sufficient to destroy us. The interior minister particularly urged the religious leaders to play their role to ensure the elimination of religious extremism from the society, saying no individual or group has the right to punish anybody when the state institutions like the parliament and the judicial system are working.

Iqbal said there is dire need of a long struggle against the culture of hatred, expressing the hope that all the parties should look how to overcome this challenge. “We have carried so many bodies and witnessed so much bloodshed, now we have to decorate flowers of peace and for this we need to overcome hatred at all levels,” the minister remarked.

On the occasion, the Interior Minister also thanked all the political leaders who prayed for his recovery and visited him in the hospital to inquire about his health after the assassination attempt on his life. Ahsan Iqbal said Bilawal Zardari expressed solidarity with him while Imran Khan also sent flowers for him for which he was thankful to both of them.

Narrating the attack on his life, the minister said a few seconds prior to the attack, he received a call on his cell phone and luckily his elbow acted as shield to save his life. The Interior Minister also clarified his position about the Iqama he possessed from 2011 to 2016. He said that during this period he was the member of the Institute of Leadership and Entrepreneurship in Medina. He clarified that it was an honorary position and he did not get any remuneration.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2018. The bill moved by Minister of State for Maritime Affairs Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal is aimed at preventing trafficking in persons especially women and children. The bill addresses three specific areas including prevention and combating of trafficking, protection and assistance of victims.

According to the bill, any person or group who commits an offence of trafficking shall be liable to an imprisonment from seven years up to 14 years and a fine of up to two million rupees keeping in view the nature of the crime. An offence under this bill shall be cognizable and non-bailable.

The House also passed three other bills including “The Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies Bill, 2018, “The Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and “The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2018.