ISLAMABAD: The Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday said that the government would not issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Tehrik-i-Minhajul Quran (TMQ) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri for holding a rally in Islamabad’s Blue Area.

Malik added that the government would not consider any illegal demands and advised Qadri to review his decision on the long march.

Speaking to media representatives in Islamabad, Federal Interior Minister Malik claimed that five suspects have been arrested from the Malakand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and had confessed to planning an attack on Qadri’s long march on Jan 14.

He also said that the government did not wish to take any risks with regard to the security arrangements for the rally. Malik further said that providing security to Qadri was his duty.

However, he added that it would be inadvisable for Qadri to go ahead with the long march in such precarious conditions.

The interior minister said that business owners and residents in Islamabad’s Blue Area had expressed their reservations regarding the long march. Therefore, no one would be permitted to hold a rally in the locality.