News
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Mr Law & Mr Order responsible for extremism in Punjab: Taseer* Governor says ‘Sasti Roti’ Scheme has brought province to the brink of bankruptcy
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer has said that ‘Mr Law’ and ‘Mr Order’ – referring to Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif respectively – are violating anti-terrorism rules, a private TV channel reported on Monday.
According to the channel, Governor Taseer, addressing a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) public gathering on the 57th birthday anniversary of slain party chief Benazir Bhutto, dubbed the provincial ministers as ‘Mr Law’ and ‘Mr Order’, making references to the term ‘law and order’.
He said that both leaders had contested the by-elections with the alliance of banned organisations, the channel said.
Taseer said that law and order was a provincial matter and the Punjab government was responsible for the law and order situation in the province, adding that ruthless crimes in the province have risen by 30 percent. Extremism has intensified in the province due to the bogus and failed policies of the Punjab government, he said.
The governor said that the PPP had sacrificed more than any other group, yet the party did not believe in taking revenge. He said that President Asif Ali Zardari would hold office till 2018, as the PPP is a party of the whole country, and not only of the Grand Trunk (GT) Road.
He said that the Punjab government is spending Rs 6 billion a month on the ‘Sasti Roti’ Scheme, which has brought the province to the brink of bankruptcy. He added that the provincial government is also bearing all the expenses of Raiwind, referring to the personal residence of the Punjab CM. Not even the servants of the ‘Raiwind Palace’ would cast their votes for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz following their demonstration of ‘good governance’ in the province, he said.
The PPP has beautifully played the ‘Punjab card’ and its success in the by-polls is evidence to this, the channel quoted the governor as saying.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk