Interior minister advises opponents to shun politics of agitation

LAHORE: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday urged political opponents to shun politics of agitation and work for progress of the country.

Speaking to the media here, he said the country couldn’t make progress without enduring pace and stability.

The minister said the government was making every possible effort to not let anyone play havoc with democratic polity.

He said holding the elections of the Senate on the dot was the requirement of democracy and part of democratic process.

Commenting on the Kasur incident, Iqbal said efforts were being made to bring the culprit involved in the rape and murder of the minor girl to book.

He lamented that some politicians were using the incident for political gains and urged them not to do politics over the issue.

Reacting to Indian army chief’s recent statement about Pakistan, the minister said this sort of assertions were unbecoming of a nuclear state. His statement reflected the behavior suited to an irresponsible state, he added.

On January 12, Indian army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said that the force was ready to call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff and cross the border to conduct operation if asked by the Indian government.

The interior minister further said the US President Donald Trump’s tweet and Indian army chief’s statement were aimed at pressurizing Pakistan.