December 22, 2001	Saturday	Shawwal 6, 1422

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LAHORE, Dec 21: The government would decide the future of Jihadi organizations by the end of this month, Interior Minister Moin Haider said on Friday.

Talking to reporters after a ceremony held at a missionary school ahead of Christmas, the minister did not name the outfits likely to face the action.

He said the government had been asking the Jihadis not to come into the limelight by hoisting their banners and placing their boxes at shops and other public places for collecting fund even before Sept 11 as it was not in the interest of the country in the present day global behaviour.

He said the government would sternly deal with those who would ignite violence and spread hatred in the name of religion.

The minister said the deweaponization campaign would be relaunched. So far, he said, over 126,000 arms had been collected from the civilians.

He said the drive was suspended after the police were engaged by the protest meetings of the Pak-Afghan Defence Council (PADC) against US-led attacks on Afghanistan.

When asked if Pakistan would reciprocate the Indian move of calling back its ambassador, he said no decision had so far been taken.

Asked if there were chances of an all-out war with India, he said he did not see any war as neither India nor Pakistan could afford it. The world would also prevent India from doing so even if it had any plan, he added.

NASRULLAH: Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan on Friday criticized the interior minister for announcing a new punishment in each statement.

Talking to reporters before the ceremony, he said the minister was declaring various punishments for violating different laws but he was not announcing any punishment for the violation of the Constitution.

Chiding the minister for his statement that the government could not be given to the primers, he questioned him whether the country had been achieved through a military adventure. He said they were the primers whose struggle resulted in the creation of Pakistan.