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Federal government believes in

Posted on: Thu March 18, 2010

ISLAMABAD: In a special cabinet meeting here on Wednesday with PM Gilani in the chair, the federal government conveyed its official confirmation to a visibly perturbed Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif that there now was no doubt that Punjabi Taliban were carrying out suicide bombings and acts of terrorism in his province.

The Interior Ministry bosses who gave a presentation on law and order in the country revealed that so far in six acts of terrorism (December 1, 2009-March 12, 2010), the Punjabi Taliban had killed 154 innocent people, including women and children in addition to injuring 565 persons.

The first official confirmation is in big contrast to tall claims of the Punjab government that no Punjabi Taliban existed in the province therefore there was no need to get serious about any operation in the areas where these elements were allegedly growing their influence and ability to attack anywhere in the province with the help of local recruits.

A top source said that the official confirmation about the Punjabi Taliban greatly upset Shahbaz Sharif, who was present in the meeting when Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the cabinet that there was no doubt left that Punjbais were behind the terrorism in the province.

Sources said that Shahbaz Sharif sharply reacted and wondered how could killers, rapist, dacoits and robbers be called Punjabi Taliban. Shahbaz was not ready to accept the statement given in the cabinet meeting that instead of finding excuses and role of Pashtun Taliban, it was high time to focus on the activities of the Punjabi Taliban who were in fact behind the recent wave of terrorism. The Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik, and Secretary Interior Qamar Zaman gave a presentation on law and order situation in the country, anti terrorism measures and federal and provincial coordination.

The interesting aspect of this presentation was that it did not contain any information about Islamabad, AJK, or Gilgit-Baltistan. Sources said that many members of the cabinet were at a loss to know as to why Shahbaz Sharif was not ready to accept the bitter fact that Punjabi Taliban existed.

The Punjab government had been taking the stand that the law and order situation in the province was not as bad as compared with the other areas as its local police had been effectively tackling the situation.

That was why, all the major attacks of bombing in the last three months were declared to be the job of Pashtun Taliban as it suited the provincial set-up. But, the sources said, instead of listening to the argument of the interior minister based on information, the chief minister kept on insisting that the Punjabi Talibans could not do it as no such league of terrorist existed in his province.

Meanwhile, sources said that participants raised several objections to the substandard presentation. They said that the interior secretary was told that what he was trying to tell was already reported in the media and there was nothing new. Sources said that Federal Ministers Farooq Sattar, Naveed Qamar, Dr Babar Awan and others expressed their dissatisfaction over the poor standard of the briefing.

It was claimed that 27 possible attempts of terrorism were foiled in the Punjab. The secretary interior said attack on security forces vehicles at the RA Bazar and the SIA building, Lahore, had caused 70 deaths. The secretary also gave details about suicide bombing at DG Khan, ISI Builing Multan, Askari mosque in Parade Lane Rawalpindi and Moon Market, Lahore.

Secretary interior said that three factors were responsible for this massive outburst of terrorism in the Punjab presence of banned sectarian organisations, fleeing militants and foreign covert interference.

But, the sources said, no one raised any question in the cabinet meeting that on the one hand, the federal government believed that banned organizations were involved in terrorism in the province and on the other, the Punjab government minister Rana Sanullah was holding joint election rallies with the leaders of banned outfits.

Courtesy : The News