LAHORE – Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Saturday blamed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for taking the banned outfits under its umbrella to win the next elections after losing support from the agencies.
Interacting with the media here, Kaira warned that extremist elements were uniting to revive the IJI, an alliance formed in September 1988 to oppose the PPP in elections that year.
The minister criticised the transfers and postings of officers in the Punjab, and termed it a pre-poll rigging. He called for an action by the Election Commission of Pakistan against it, saying these transfers and postings reflected the fear the PML-N was having after losing support from the agencies. This party had been contesting elections with the help of the agencies in the past, he went on to say. Kaira further said the PML-N used to abuse the nationalist parties, but this time, ironically, it was forging an alliance with them. The minister, to a query, said a formula for seat-to-seat adjustment with the PML-Q had been okayed and the process of nominating candidate(s) was in progress. In reply to another question about the talks offer from the Taliban, Kaira said the dialogue, deterrence and development – 3Ds – had been the government’s policy from the day one to counter terrorism. “Our stand is quite clear; we welcome those willing to accept the state and the Constitution for talks.”
He however added that dialogue with those, who denied the state as well as the constitution, held no value whatsoever.