FAISALABAD, Feb 7: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani has urged the students of seminaries to come forward and join hands with the government for eliminating extremism and terrorism from the country.

Addressing a press conference at a local club on Wednesday, he said terrorism had defamed Pakistan and Islam. “It is the need of the hour that the seminary students should work shoulder to shoulder with the government to strengthen the country. We will have to play an active role for the good of the Muslim Ummah”, he stressed.

He said terrorism had retarded the country’s progress and concerted efforts were the only effective weapon to fight it out.

He ruled out the possibility of any deal with the PPP and said “the ruling party and its components will not share power with the people who had been engaged in plundering the national resources.

“Before the upcoming general election, the government will inform the masses about what the former premiers had done with the country,” he claimed.

He, however, said the government was ready to remove the reservations of the opposition if it agreed to come to negotiation.

As for the kidnap of Sohail Qalandar, the resident editor of Daily Express, Peshawar, he said efforts were being made for his safe recovery and the federal government was extending full cooperation in this regard.

To a question, he said the general elections would be held according to the schedule and rigging in any form would be considered a “political terrorism”.

He said President Pervez Musharraf was eager for the Palestine issue solution and he made it clear that without resolving the long-awaiting matter peace could not be maintained in the world.

The information minister later inaugurated a 45-day province-wise mass contact youth campaign at the PML Youth Wing office. He said the campaign would run across Punjab and culminate in the form of a public gathering at the Minar-i-Pakistan on March 23.

Durrani also inaugurated the office of a television channel, saying the government is promoting private channels in the country in line with its policy of providing freedom of expression to the people.