Taliban demands Pakistan minister step down

ISLAMABAD - The Taliban has demanded Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi step down, a media report said Monday.

Kazmi told Dunya TV Monday Taliban militants had written a letter to him demanding he step down as a federal minister. They also threatened in the letter of dire consequences in case of non-compliance, he added.

Kazmi, who belongs to the Barelvi school of thought in Islam, has been in hot water on account of an alleged corruption scandal in arrangements for Haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

He has sent a Rs.100 million defamation notice to Science and Technology Minister Azam Sawati for making the accusations.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who comes from the same city as Kazmi, had to intervene and stop the two ministers from washing dirty linen in the public.

The Pakistani envoy in Saudi Arabia had also pointed a finger at Kazmi for his failure to handle the affairs in an appropriate manner.

Kazmi had escaped an assassination attempt Sep 3 last year in Islamabad when assailants opened fire at his official vehicle. He travels under a tight security blanket since then.

Taliban militants, belonging to hardliner Deobandi school of thought, are banned in Pakistan and the security forces of the country have launched a crackdown against them in the northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

They have carried out target killings and suicide bombings across the country in retaliation, resulting in severe loss of life and infrastructure.