By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Tuesday said the enemies were trying to damage Pakistan and its institutions, including the armed forces, by fomenting chaos and confusion.
Addressing a press conference here to brief about the decisions of the weekly cabinet meeting, he said Nawaz Sharif was a three time prime minister but now he was talking against institutions like the Election Commission and the courts to destabilize the country.
To a question, he said the government was not concerned about the All Parties Conference (APC) of the opposition.“We did not create hurdles in the holding of APC,” he said, adding Nawaz Sharif was now healthy and strong, and made the speech in London.
He was a proclaimed offender and was involved in money laundering and corruption, he added. The minister said the opposition tried to blackmail the government on the legislation related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and when it failed Nawaz Sharif in a final attempt made the speech.
To a question, he said debate on religious issues should be avoided as the people were sensitive about them. Shibli Faraz said Prime Minister Imran Khan was of clear view that strict punishments should be handed to rape offenders.
The discussion was held on making laws against rape according to Islam to punish criminals involved in the heinous act. Adviser to the Prime Minister Shehzad Akbar, he said, would come up with a law to effectively stop the crime of rape, ensure punishment, protect identity of the victim(s) and undertake use of the latest technology, he explained.
There were loopholes in the law against rape which made it difficult to give punishment to the accused, he added. The incidents of rape were on the rise and the media was also reporting more cases. The minister said for the prime minister, the energy sector and tax collection were priority issues.
Different presentations were given to the cabinet on the energy sector and purchase of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) by power plants, he said, adding negotiations were undertaken for the privatization of regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) based power plants. The minister said the circular debt had risen to Rs 2.1 trillion and different sectors of economy suffered due to it. He said the electricity prices rose due to the agreements done by the past governments.
