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Thursday, July 15, 2010
Anti, pro-media motions merely a drama: Taseer
* Punjab governor proposes zero tolerance for banned outfits
* Says there are no terrorist training camps in PunjabDaily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer has said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government's recent resolutions against and in favour of the media were merely a political drama.
Talking to a TV channel on Wednesday, the Punjab governor stressed that no federal government in the history of Pakistan had ever supported a provincial government to such an extent, as the Pakistan People's Party-led government was supporting the Punjab government.
Taseer said that almost all the political and religious parties had openly opposed the PML-N, as that they were not willing to move ahead. "In such circumstances, only the PPP is cooperating with the PML-N and supporting it," he said.
The governor said that he had written to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on March 4, 2010, and expressed his reservations about some PML-N members' ties with banned militant outfits.
"I told him that the Taliban and the workers of extremist organisations are non-democratic people, but unfortunately, the Punjab chief minister issued a statement in favour of the Taliban in Jamia Naeemia and beseeched them," Taseer said.
The governor proposed zero tolerance against banned organisations. He said that people, involved in various terrorist attacks were being set free.
To a question, Taseer said that Punjab Prosecution Secretary Rana Maqbool was wanted by the Sindh government for his involvement in many cases.
The governor also criticised the Sasti Roti Scheme, saying it was a cheap publicity stunt and not intended to help the masses. "The government is showing a stubborn attitude regarding the scheme, which has now become a mere corruption show," he said. He said The Punjab chief minister had spent Rs 12 billion so far on the scheme.
To a question about the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Taseer said the project was completely documented and the US government and the World Bank had both praised it. "On the other hand, as far as Punjab's good governance is concerned, the province has become bankrupt and the government is unable to pay the salaries of government employees at the end of every month," he said. To a question about reconciliation with the PML-N, Taseer said that he did not bear any personal grudge against the party leadership. "It's on the record that I have never used any derogatory words against anyone. I wish that the Punjab government should stay in power," he said.
The governor said that there were no terrorist training camps in Punjab, but a "soft corner" and a support system for the terrorists existed in the province.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk