Nation will foil ill designs to overthrow govt: Malik

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: As speculations are suffocating the already politically polluted air in the country, predicting a silent coup, Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday negated all such rumours saying Pakistani people would foil all nefarious designs to overthrow the elected government.

"We understand that people have given us a mandate for five years through votes, and if someone tried to do something to the government, people would foil such attempts," he told reporters outside parliament.

In response to a question that the government was facing a serious crisis, Malik said the situation was not as complex as some people have describe it. "It's time to think positive and move forward," he added.

Malik said that democracy was very important, and whoever was against Pakistan People's Party (PPP), must realise that the party came into power after free and fair elections and it would complete its five-year term.  About Afghan President Hamid Karzai's recent statement about Pakistan, he said that he was very upset after President Karzai blamed Pakistan for the twin blasts at Afghan shrines on the day of Ashura in which at least 58 people were killed.

Malik reacted to the statement by saying that the Afghan government should talk to the Pakistani government before issuing such controversial statements. He also said that being a neighbour, Afghanistan should refrain from this blame-game and carry out an inquiry before any statement was issued.

Malik said Pakistan has always been ready to help Afghanistan but the country had concerns about the five million Afghans who had taken refuge in Pakistan. He said the Afghan refugees were involved in illegal drugs and arms, which poses threat to the security of the host country. He added that since so much work has been done to restore peace in Afghanistan, something should also be done about taking the Afghan refugees back home.

The interior minister said that peace in Afghanistan is in favour of Pakistan but it would not tolerate baseless statement of Afghan government anymore in the future.