Shahbaz says no soft corner for Taliban left in Pakistan

China and UK are engaged in new kind of partnership; Imran Khan hurling baseless allegations; energy crisis will be over in 2017

LONDON: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said there is no soft corner left for Taliban in Pakistan which is evident from the strong-willed drive against extremism and terrorism under the National Action Plan (NAP) in the country.

Sharif said the Punjab government has taken big steps, including amendments to relevant laws aimed at curbing hate speech and distribution of hate material, besides the arrest of hundreds of trouble makers in the province.

“There is no soft corner for Taliban left in Pakistan and the NAP is a manifestation of Pakistan’s national unity,” Sharif told a press conference at the Pakistan High Commission at the conclusion of his four-day official visit to the UK.

“In Punjab, we have taken huge steps… changed laws, curbed hate speech and hate material. We have told mosques and Imambargahs that no hate will be tolerated,” he said. He mentioned recent local bodies election, saying arms were not displayed and culprits were punished wherever law was violated.

The chief minister said Pakistan saw rise in extremism as a result of the global events in which the country had no role but unfortunately Pakistani people became the biggest victims of the terrorism and extremism.

It is unfortunate, he said, that minorities in the Punjab and elsewhere in Pakistan are victimised along with the mainstream communities. However, he vowed that this challenge will be dealt with and a narrative will be built to give equal rights to all Pakistanis. He told reporters that 45 people had been arrested after recent troubles in Jhelum as the law came into action against law-breakers.

Sharif said that energy projects could not be set up overnight, adding that Nandipur project was a dead project but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif activated it to the shock of naysayers. The project had started working, he said.

He blamed the current energy crisis on the mismanagement of the previous governments, telling reporters that the current Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was fully committed to providing electricity to every corner of Pakistan.

Responding to a question, the Punjab chief minister said it was unfortunate that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was indulged in “petty politics of allegations and confrontation”.

“I have stopped reading or listening statements of Imran Khan. He is a leader of national stature and should act as one instead of doing non-serious politics,” he said.

“He (Imran Khan) makes allegations but has no regard for facts and truth. He made wild accusations about Jangla bus. I asked him to bring proofs of wrongdoing but he failed to establish anything.”

He didn’t even spare Pakistan’s all-weather friend China, said Shahbaz of the PTI chief, adding that he alleged the Sharif family had shares in the investment that China is bringing to Pakistan.

“I pray that Imran Khan remain relevant in Pakistan’s politics and start behaving seriously.”

Sharif said the PML-N government was working to make Pakistan a tolerant and democratic country and believed in accommodation of diverse opinions and communities. He revealed there was a new three-way partnership involving Pakistan, China and the UK for the economic prosperity of their peoples.

He said his current visit to the UK, which included dozens of meetings with top-British officials, has been one of the most successful visits ever. “We signed dozens of MoUs and held dialogue on crucial issues, which shows the UK government has full confidence in the government of Nawaz Sharif.”

Sharif said that Pakistani nation condemned terrorism and recent attacks on France and America.

“Pakistan has given sacrifices of over 50,000 people during the last decade. Pakistan has shown iron resolve against terrorism. Last year, Pakistan’s children were slaughtered, and as a result the whole nation is on one page.”

The Chief Minister paid rich tributes to the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s armed forces. He said that overseas Pakistanis were part of the nation-building exercise and the nation was proud of their contribution.

He asked the overseas Pakistanis to continue supporting the motherland, saying the Pakistani government was working day and night on various projects to end the energy crisis. He promised the energy crisis would end in 2017 and “Pakistan will see a new era of economic progress”.