LAHORE: Punjab Law and Education Minister Rana Mashhood says the law-enforcement agencies will ensure that no militants in the guise of internally displaced persons (IDPs) should join the network of extremists through the urban areas of Punjab.

The minister was talking to the media after addressing the owners of private schools and principals of public and private colleges of the province at a fund-raiser for the IDPs at the Directorate of Staff Development on Saturday.

Mr Khan said police and secret agencies should coordinate with one another and added that hooliganism was not a solution to any problem.

Know more: Militants in the garb of IDPs

Responding to a question about electoral reforms, he admitted electoral reforms were need of the hour but the parliament was only a legal and constitutional forum for the purpose. He said the federal government had made nominations in a special parliamentary committee for making amendments to the election laws.

“If PTI chief Imran Khan is serious about electoral reforms, why is he not nominating his assembly members for this purpose?” he asked.

In the same go, he stressed, Imran Khan should display political maturity as 7.6 million voters had expressed their confidence in him in general elections to play his due role in the assemblies.

He said those making claims of bringing about a revolution in a few weeks, in fact, wanted to hoodwink the people and they were trying to sabotage the development in the country.

The minister said the military operation was started against the Taliban as they wanted that their demands be accepted through force and lawlessness instead of constitution and law.

Earlier, speaking at the fund-raising event, Mr Mashhood said the army was ensuring security of the country by eliminating terrorists through Operation Zarb-e-Azb. He said the nation was imbued with a spirit of sacrifice for their displaced brethren who had been besieged by the terrorists who wanted to use them as human shield in North Waziristan.

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He said the IDPs were patriotic Pakistanis and the army as well as federal government would provide them with every facility. He said the Operation Zarb-i-Azb would continue till the elimination of last terrorist in the country. He hoped that when the IDPs would return to their homes, they would live in a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere.

Published in Dawn, July 6th , 2014