News
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Nighat Orakzai offers dupatta to Shahbaz Sharif
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Nighat Orakzai on Monday removed her ‘dupatta’ and threw it on the floor during the NWFP Assembly session on Monday, asking the Punjab chief minister (CM) to wear it, in protest against a statement given by him in which he asked the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to “spare the province of Punjab from its terrorist activities”.
According to a private TV channel, the PML-Q MPA said that if Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is so scared of the Taliban, then he should starting wearing a ‘dupatta’. She said the Punjab CM’s statement had revealed that he was only concerned for the safety of his province, and called it a “betrayal” of those killed in terrorist activities in the NWFP.
Speaking at a seminar held at the Jamia Naeemia Mosque on March 14 (Sunday), the Punjab CM had said, “Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf planned a bloodbath of innocent Muslims at the behest of others only to prolong his term in office, but we, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz opposed the former president’s policies and rejected the dictation being received from abroad. If the Taliban are also fighting for the same cause, then they should not carry out acts of terror in the province of Punjab [where the PML-N is the ruling party].”
However, later defending his statement, the Punjab CM said that his remarks were ‘misinterpreted’ and taken out of context. He said that he has always spoken in support of all victims of terrorist activities, especially the people of the NWFP who are bearing the brunt of the majority of terrorist attacks in the country.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk