Livid Malik refuses to resign, declares war on ‘mudslinging’ TV anchors

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has refused to resign from office, saying he cannot be tagged as a beneficiary of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), and accused TV anchors of being engaged in ‘mudslinging’, adding that he has been showing restraint against the “liars.”

“I was a beneficiary after the National Accountability Bureau cases against me were closed. As soon as my cases re-opened in the courts after the Supreme Court declared the NRO void ab initio, the beneficiary factor also vanished,” the Daily Times quoted Malik, as saying, in response to questions during a press conference.

“Now I am standing in the same line as many other politicians and bureaucrats facing cases in courts under the NRO or the Pakistan Penal Code,” he added.

Accusing media organisations and anchorpersons of being “hell bent on mudslinging” and “airing false reports” regarding his resignation, he claimed that once he started talking, the “liars” would not be able to find a place to hide.

Malik said that he could not be treated as guilty until the court ruled against him. “I have not committed any crime. If the court convicts me, I will be the first one to resign,” he added.

Responding to a query, he said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had never asked him to step down from office, adding that he would submit his resignation within ten minutes if Gilani sought it.

Answering another question, Malik asked his political opponents to go for a no-confidence motion in parliament if they wanted to bring a change. (ANI)