Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said if an elected prime minister can be punished by the court then how a person who abrogated the Constitution can be spared. "If prime minister of Pakistan can appear before the court and is punished then there is no reason to spare a person who abrogated the Constitution of Pakistan," he said while talking to media persons outside National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Mega Centre here at Blue Area.
The minister made these remarks in an obvious reference to former President General Pervez Musharraf (retired). He said all citizens are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of law. To a question about issuance of red notice against Musharraf, he said that the government will fulfill its responsibilities as per law. He said that Musharraf can give interviews to TV channels, but he cannot appear before the court where he is facing charges of treason.
To a question about harassment charges against deputy chairman NADRA, he said that as per the government policy, all employees, especially women, should be given complete protection. Strict action would be taken against the officials found guilty of harassing women and there would be zero tolerance in this regard, he added.
To a question about US President Donald Trump's statement and the government policy, he said that Pakistan's commitment to battling terrorism does not require validation by any other country. Pakistan is not fighting war against terrorism to please or dismay any country but to safeguard its own interests, he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to work with the international community to eliminate terrorism.
He said that 2018 is an election year and the NADRA has to play a critical role in it. He said that he has directed NADRA to prepare 70 NADRA mobile registration vans to ensure registration of maximum number of people.