To PML-N: ‘If you shut your door to all errors, truth will also be shut out’ – by Shafiq Awan
The Punjab chief minister’s unique idea of offering an olive branch to the Taliban and in return demanding amnesty for Punjab from their terror spree was not at all a precipitous act but a well-thought out deliberation.
The CM’s political advisers did not own architecting his harangue at Jamia Naeemia and declared it a brainchild of the newly-appointed media manager who was not aware of the statement’s political repercussions. He alleged that some circles had twisted his remarks, but it was not his official statement, which could be garbled or have a typo error, but his articulated verbal axioms.
A ‘gentleman’ in his media team called it a routine colloquial speech as politicians often made such mistakes and the media had taken it otherwise. His arguments were that the speech was not at all well-versed or well-thought and the media should take it as a routine matter. If the CM had a lackadaisical approach on such an issue then, then it is a more serious issue.
In fact, such approach corroborates the stances of the MQM, ANP and PPP that the Punjab chief minister had prompted the Taliban to choose the rest of Pakistan and ignore Punjab.
The clarification issued by the CM is further complicating the situation. Instead of wobbling on the said speech and making different justifications, it would have been better if the CM’s media team and not himself had corrected his remarks with the condition “if it hurts someone’s feelings”. But we justify our blunders instead of retreating or admitting errors. It requires a lot of courage to act like a human being as only humans accept their mistakes.
In the words of Rabindranath Tagore, “If you shut your door to all errors, truth will be shut out.”
Luckily, the CM had only one voice in his favour and that was PML-N Secretary General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra. While defending Shabaz Sharif, he said, being Punjab’s chief minister, Shahbaz’s appeal to the Taliban for sparing Punjab was justified. He claimed that his reaction would have been the same if it was NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti. I believe his remarks will lead to further controversies in the NWFP.
They never accept foreign dictation or desired to meet the American or the British. It was US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher who first requested to meet Nawaz Sharif, which they accepted with the condition that the venue would be Raiwind.
If Shahbaz had expressed some sympathy with the Taliban’s ideology, it doesn’t mean he supports their extremism. To a query on why the PML-N never condemned the Taliban and always came up with ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, he argued that every Taliban is not an extremist and the world should differentiate between good and bad Taliban.
There were reports that the army chief in his meeting with Shabaz had also expressed concern over his remarks on the Taliban. The CM’s media team is trying hard to win some favour for their boss or undo the damage caused by his statement, which is complicating the situation even more. The only remedy is to advise the CM to admit his mistake if apologising hurts his ego.
Source: Daily Times
Shahbaz doesn’t need to apologise: PML-N leader
* PML-Q parliamentary leader says Punjab CM’s statement was an ‘irresponsible act’
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Despite a wave of anger among various political parties over the Punjab chief minister’s controversial statement, Pakistan Muslim League leader says Shahbaz Sharif does not need to tender a public apology.
PML-N lawmaker Khurram Dastgir said the statement by the Punjab CM was quoted out of context, therefore, it was widely misinterpreted. Dastgir said there was on need for Shahbaz to seek apology to the nation, as his statement was misquoted.
Irresponsible: PML-Quaid (PML-Q) Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat termed Shahbaz’s statement an “irresponsible act”.
“On one hand, the PML-N says that terrorism is the main cause of instability in the country and vows to root it out, while on the other, its president speaks on behalf of the Taliban,” he said.
Faisal said that being the president of a major national political party, Shahbaz should have not singled out Punjab at a time when the subject of provincialism was already hot. “Such a statement by a man who is wearing two crucial hats is tantamount to weakening the federation, as it sends negative signals to other provinces,” he said. He said the PML-Q had already submitted an adjournment motion in the National Assembly on the Punjab CM’s statement, which would be entertained by NA Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza on her return to the country.
Senator Zahid Khan of the Awami National Party said no one should compromise with terrorists, as their existence meant instability and turmoil in Pakistan. “Punjab is the home of jihadis and no one should shut his eyes to them,” he said.
Members of the NWFP Assembly belonging to the PPP, ANP and the PML-Q have demanded that Shahbaz should apologise to the nation on his statement. Speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Bushra Gohar of the ANP also sought a public apology from the Punjab CM.
The MQM’s Abdul Qadir Khanzada said that Shahbaz’s statement was regrettable. “At a time when the whole nation is fighting against terrorism, any statement that gives the impression of support for the Taliban hurts the feelings of the masses,” he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami deputy chief Liaqat Baloch said almost all political parties had been toeing the lines drawn by former president Pervez Musharraf regarding the war on terror. A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesman said that Imran Khan had made an objection over Shahbaz Sharif’s ‘plea’ of sparing Punjab.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\03\17\story_17-3-2010_pg7_21
GARBAGE BIN
It is just like emptying our own garbage bin in front of our immediate neighbor’s home and say ‘that’s not my problem’. When the garbage pile increases to a bigger heap and smells out, it becomes a problem for the whole neighborhood, INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO INITIATED THE FIRST PROCESS.
If PMLN thinks, that chanting slogans of solidarity with extremists and cultivating such factors to find some political favors from a DISEASE, then they must have forgotten the recent history OR there must be a bigger filthy plan of controlling such elements for political success, nationally or internationally. In politics, parties use to keep PET hoodlums or bullyboys to control various threats against them during their political life. Currently the biggest bully or awesome factor is the extremist and their banned status, so PMLN is shaking hands with them. The disease of extremism was created and nurtured by the creator of PMLN, so these two factors are pretty much acquainted to each other since quite a long time.
But again they are or who ever is trying to get political favors from these elements, is ignoring the above example yet again, that the garbage pile will smell out and the disease would swallow up them as well.
It is quite obvious that a political class is secretly subscribed to the fundamentalist religious ideology and did not take a clear stance against the Taliban’s terrorist activities in the country for expedient reasons. But we did not know that the central leader of one of Pakistan’s major political parties would spill the beans of his party’s pusillanimity in such a clumsy manner. However, the citizens are so fed up with the Taliban that the reluctance of the Punjab government to take action against the jihadi outfits in Punjab is likely to cost the PML-N dearly. This attitude of PML-N is simply hampering the Govt’s attempts to counter monster of terrorism. Similarly it is par with the betrayal from the blood of those who rendered their lives in this war of survival.
I, personally am dissapointed with the CM’s comments, and further dissapointed with his attempt to talk with Kiyani, and Gilani to sort this out. His message was to the people. He should have publicliy appologized and clarified himself in front of the people.
The PML-N has always been a rightest outfit supporting extremist ideologies in the country. Lately PMLN leaders had been trying to give an impression that it is a national party and against Talibanisation. But as said in Urdu, “Dil kee baat zabaan par aa hi jaati hai.” And they are doing it on purpose. They support right wing ideologies because they get support from that side. I wounder why the PMLN leaders are never threatened or attacked by terrorists when leaders and activists of PPP and ANP get killed in terrorist attacks. Its time the nation recognize the real face of people like PMLN, JI and obviously the confused Imran Khan, who are dragging the country towards Talibanisation. These forces, teamed up with certain media groups, pseudo-intellectuals and the so-called independent judiciary and certain lawyer gangs, are diluting the society and the biggest threat to a liberal democracy.