Govt to create inter-faith council for religious harmony: Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik, in an interview with Radio Pakistan, has said that the government is going to constitute an inter-faith council to create harmony in the country.
He said the council will comprise of scholars from all religious sects and its chairmanship will be rotated among them every three months.
Malik said that an inter-faith conference will be held on August 30 on a national level for discussing how sectarian harmony can be promoted in the country.
He appealed to people of the country to unite and foil nefarious designs of the enemies who want to create instability in the country through subversive incidents.
Answering a question on the law and order situation in Balochistan, Malik offered Baloch nationalist leaders dialogue with the government for addressing issues of the Baloch people.
He also asked self-exiled Baloch nationalist leaders to return to Balochistan and help their people resolve their issues while remaining among them.
Malik said they can make Pakistan especially Balochistan the most prosperous area of the world with unity, peace and stability.

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Rehman Malik appointed as interior minister again

 
President Asif Ali Zardari appointed Senator Rehman Malik as the Federal Interior Minister on Friday soon after he was sworn back into the parliament.
Malik had resigned from his Senate membership after the Supreme Court suspended him from the parliament on June 4 for allegedly running for the Senate in 2009 while still holding British citizenship. He was elected unopposed at a by-election in the same seat for the Senate, or upper house of parliament, which he held prior to his June suspension, paving the way for him to be reconfirmed as a cabinet minister.
The swearing-in ceremony was broadcast live on state television.
The Constitution bars MPs from acquiring foreign nationality.
Documents that Malik submitted to the court failed to convince judges that he had renounced his dual nationality before being elected.
Under the constitution, only members of parliament can hold the rank of cabinet minister.
After his suspension, Malik was swiftly appointed the prime minister’s “advisor” on interior affairs, effectively allowing him to keep his interior ministry job.
The by-election was held in Karachi, although Malik is originally from Punjab.
The Karachi seat won by Malik is reserved for technocrats. Malik is a former official from the Federal Investigation Agency.
The Supreme Court has recently suspended a number of MPs over dual nationality, including Farahnaz Ispahani, an advisor to Zardari and the wife of Pakistan’s sacked ambassador to Washington. She holds dual Pakistani-US nationality.

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'Lashkar-e-Jhangvi responsible for Balochistan law and order situation'

 
Interior Minister Rehman Malik, while briefing the Senate on Thursday said that the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan.
“The Taliban and the proscribed organisations have joined hands with each other. We have evidences about the involvement of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and BLA in sabotage activities,” Malik said adding that international forces have prepared a complete road map to disintegrate Pakistan and the plan is being implemented through the mentioned groups.
He said that powers destabilising Pakistan have made a road map, adding that Taliban presence in Balochistan could not be denied. Quoting some terrorist activities in the province, Malik said that the BLA has claimed responsibility for all the incidents. “Only in 2012, they killed 138 FC personnel, 89 police personnel and 872 civilians, and injured 1,177 people.”
“The Baloch people love Pakistan and they believe in the federation. But, they have fallen victim to the terror of the BLA and I can prove with record and figures that the BLA has killed people,” Malik said. “The BLA has become a killing machine and whole of its supply comes from Afghanistan.”
‘Summon ISI, FO’
Malik requested the Senate chairman to decide a date for summoning the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Foreign Office, Interior Ministry and himself before the Senate.
Malik said he would not play the “blame game” but would bring facts and would do so with full responsibility and transparency.
“There are many things I will tell you on record and there are many that I will not be able to divulge in open house,” said Malik while briefing the chairman.
“The political situation of this region, the security situation of the region, the game of this world power” were some of the things Malik hinted at talking about in his briefing, adding that “we cannot separate Balochistan.”
“So when I give that briefing on camera, you will understand what is happening with us and to what extent it can be compared with East Pakistan,” he said.
“I will give you some details,” said Malik, adding that if it was not enough for the chairman, he would come tomorrow again to brief them.
“I want to give briefing on camera so we can answer questions, tell you what is happening with us in Balochistan.”
Cross-border attacks
Malik told the Senate that he had raised the issue of cross-border attacks and killing and kidnapping of Pakistani security personnel and civilians with Afghan President Hamid Karzai but he refused to do anything about it.
“The president first told me to first facilitate dialogue with the Haqqani group and then he would request the US to look into Pakistani’s problems,” Malik said, adding that Karzai also said that the Pakistani areas which come under attack were under the control of Nato and US forces.
Malik alleged that Afghanistan had strengthened Maulvi Faqeer Muhammad and Qazi Fazlullah and provided shelter to Brahamdagh Bugti who was involved in the kidnapping of UN worker John Soleki.

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