Stealing public mandate a crime: Kaira

Talking to a private television channel, Kaira said stealing public mandate was a crime and any such act is punishable under the law. The minister said action would be taken in line with the Supreme Court order in the Asghar Khan Case. He further said that General (r) Hameed Gul should have been
summoned by the court during the case hearing and action should have been taken against him also.
Replying to a question, the minister said the Army leadership had informed the court that there was no political cell in Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He further said that the ISI was under the prime minister and there was no need to place it under the interior ministry. He said that the timing of the filing of a petition against the extension of the Army chief was surprising.
“The army chief did not seek extension, rather an extension was granted by the prime minister,” said the minister. He said it was the prerogative of the chief executive of the Country to appoint head of any national institution. Kaira said the Presidency in the past used to be a hub of hatching conspiracies but the PPP had made it a center of politics. He also stated that media, judiciary and civil society were free, however, the parliament had yet to achieve the same status. The present army leadership has tried to strengthen the parliament, he added.
Kaira said national institutions were yet to achieve the strength similar to those in the developed countries, such as the United States (US) and the United Kingdom. Separately, in a meeting with Jamia Qadria Aliya chief Pir Muhammad Afzal on Sunday at LalaMusa, Kaira said Islam was a religion of peace, harmony and tolerance, which taught respecting others’ sentiments.
Kaira stressed the need for promoting true Islamic values of peace, tolerance and religious harmony in the country. “We love peace as per the teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and want to conquer the world through love and dialogue,” he said. The minister said at present some elements were trying to enforce others to accept their creeds rather than convincing them through logic.