LAHORE, Sept 25: A writ petition seeking dismissal of Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Minister Dr Mufti Ghulam Sarwar Qadri for making pampering remarks about the United States was on Wednesday dismissed in limine by Lahore High Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry.

Petitioner-lawyer M.D. Tahir submitted that the minister had said in an interview published recently in a newspaper that the Pakistan government arrested and handed over a large number of mujahideen to the United States which in return should extend assistance and write off the loans.

He contended that the minister had humiliated the entire nation by seeking reward for handing over of the mujahideen to the US.

He submitted that the minister deserved to be removed from his office in the same manner as the German government had dismissed a woman minister from her office for stating that US President Bush was more callous than Hitler.

He submitted that the remarks of the Punjab Religious Affairs Minister gave the humiliating impression that he was seeking financial assistance and loans written off from the US in return for handing over of the mujahideen.

When the chief justice expressed doubts about the authenticity of the interview, the counsel submitted that the minister had neither clarified nor contradicted the remarks attributed to him in the newspaper interview till date.

He said that the minister deserved to be removed from his office for the remarks which gave an impression that Pakistanis could sell anything for money. He said that the minister should also be stopped from describing himself as a Qadri for the shameful remarks.

The chief justice observed that the ministers continued issuing different statements. The courts took notice of the violations of the law and human rights and excesses perpetrated against the people and the prisoners.

The could not stop anyone from calling himself a Qadri or otherwise.