Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that some circles have misreported and tried to give a twist to his address at Jamia Naeemia on March 14. According to an official here on Monday, the Chief Minister said some portions of his speech at Jamia Naeemia were reported out of context and an attempt was made to draw unrelated meanings.
He also said his talk was in response to the questions raised by a prominent journalist in his speech and should have been viewed in the same perspective. "In his speech the prominent journalist said that he had sounded a note of warning in Lahore last year that Sharif brothers should beware that they had removed Musharraf who was a stooge of America. The journalist also said that your's (the CM's) policies are against America and you are not taking their dictation. Local and foreign forces have become active against you. You and your party have become a hurdle against others and Lahore will be given a bloodbath," he added.
He said he in his response had said that "there is no doubt that extremism and militancy are the result of the wrong policies of dictator Musharraf and the whole country is paying a heavy price for it". He said he had also stated that if this contention was true that his government was against the dominance and dictation of others, and if Taliban were also against it, they would not have attacked Punjab.
"As far as the criticism of the use of word Punjab was concerned, it is clear that when a question was raised regarding blasts at a particular place, the reply also had to be in the same context. The speaker had expressed his views on incidents of terrorism in Punjab and bomb blasts in Lahore. Therefore, I also referred to Punjab in my speech, which some persons tried to twist to their own liking.
It is a matter of record that I have always talked about Pakistan and have also stated on numerous occasions that the proud people of NWFP are fighting for the survival of Pakistan," he added. According to him, he would like to ask those who were criticising Punjab with regard to terrorism that, if it were true that the administration of the province was not dealing with militancy with an iron hand, then why were terrorists targeting Punjab and its capital Lahore so frequently?
Nobody should say anything at this critical juncture of the national history that would create confusion in the ranks of the people regarding terrorism. "The Pakistan Army is fighting for the survival of the country and it is necessary for all political parties and politicians to rise above factional and parochial interests to root out terrorism. Similarly, there is a need for closer contacts between the secret agencies of the provinces and the centre. It is hoped that the nation would come out of this critical juncture through mutual harmony and unswerving determination.
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