Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday said the government opted to provide relief to masses by withdrawing 50 percent hike in POL prices against the wishes of the IMF and the World Bank. Talking to media outside Parliament House, he acknowledged that there was continued pressure by the IMF but the government never succumbed to it and gave greater weight to the welfare of the masses.
He said the country''''s economy was dependent on the IMF, which wants Pakistan to remain under its pressure, but he added that the welfare of the people cannot be ignored. When asked about the reasons behind the frequent changes in decision on oil prices, he evaded the question and suggested that there should not be point scoring on the issue.
He said all the political parties had rejected the recent increase in the POL prices but the main credit goes to the President, the Prime Minister, MQM Quaid Altaf Hussain and Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh. To another question, Malik said he never talked about the term "Punjabi Taliban" in the Cabinet meeting and advised Chief Minister Punjab not to indulge in blame-game, adding that terrorists had no religion, nationality and boundaries.
He added that the government was taking all necessary measures to overcome terrorism and extremism. He also lauded the sacrifices of all political parties to root out terrorism and extremism. He said that despite utmost efforts to destabilise Pakistan, terrorists have been defeated on the western borders and have resorted to targeted killings.
Referring to the assassination of minorities minister, the interior minister said that he got briefing from the investigation team on Friday and added that considerable clues had been found but refused to reveal them. He said the investigation was under way and once completed will be made public.
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