Devil Soul
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2010
- Messages
- 22,931
- Reaction score
- 45
- Country
- Location
Pakhtuns have every right to live in Punjab, assures Rana Sanaullah
DAWN.COM — UPDATED 4 minutes ago
8 COMMENTS
PRINT
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday that Pakhuns had the complete right to reside in Punjab and allegations of their victimisation being raised in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh were attempts to "spread hatred" against Punjab.
He was speaking to reporters following a attending a meeting between Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and a delegation from the Pakhtun community led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Amir Muqam.
"Pakhtuns living in Punjab are our brothers," he quoted the chief minister as saying. "They have the same right to live and conduct business in Punjab as anyone else".
Also read: Shahbaz asked to apologise for ‘action’ against Pakhtuns
He said Pakistanis living throughout the country have to combat terrorism together and regretted that the common man sometimes had to face problems during search operations.
The minister said efforts will be made to implement the suggestions given by Muqam to consider the "protection of the four walls of houses and people's respect" during the search operations.
"It is highly condemnable that some so-called political parties and leaders in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are doing political point scoring on the matter... they want to gain people's sympathies by inflicting fear in them," he said. "This is enmity against the country."
KP lawmakers on Monday condemned the “racial” policies of the Punjab government and “victimisation” of Pakhtuns in Punjab. The assembly — through a unanimously adopted resolution — condemned the harassment and ethnic profiling of Pakhtuns in Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. They called for release of the arrested people.
“People of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including businessmen, traders and daily wagers, have settled in Punjab and other areas (of the country). Unemployment and militancy have forced Pakhtuns to migrate to other provinces to earn a living, but they are being victimised,” said the resolution.
Following a suicide attack on Lahore's Mall Road on Feb 13, Punjab’s law enforcement agencies launched a province-wide crackdown on banned militant organisations.
Days after the attack, the Provincial Intelligence Centre of the Punjab Home Department issued a letter directing police high-ups to tighten security in different cities of the province.
"Combing operations [must] be conducted in all targeted areas, particularly where the Afghan/Pathan community is residing," the letter read as the Home Department instructed law enforcement agencies to ensure extreme vigilance.
Last week, police in the Rawalpindi division also began surveillance of people belonging to Fata and considered issuing them chip-based national identity cards equipped with security features.
The Punjab Apex Committee, during a meeting in Lahore on Sunday, decided to expand the scope of the recently launched military operation Raddul Fasaad targeting terrorists, their facilitators and financiers. Ongoing counterterrorism operations by civil and military law enforcement agencies have resolved to root out terrorism, extremism and sectarianism.
Why should terrorism be associated with one ethnicity: Khursheed Shah
Addressing the media regarding his reservations about Raddul Fasad Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah said, “The new army chief has started operation Raddul Fasaad, which is a continuation of operation Zarb-e-Azb, this would only increase fasaad in the country, it will only end up increasing inter-province hatred in the country.”
“Openly discriminating against Pukhtoons, could lead to chaos and aid outside forces to make the situation even worse. This is a very dangerous game that Nawaz Sharif should be wary of,” Shah added, saying that he would protest this discrimination against any one ethnicity.
“It has been admitted already that the Punjabi Taliban have had the biggest role in terrorism in the country,” Shah said, adding that the fact that an operation was never carried out in Punjab only fuelled these terrorism attempts further as the terrorist 'nurseries' are all found in the region.
“In this scenario, should we start saying that only Punjabis are involved in terrorism and people should remain on guard against them, like people openly say it about Pukhtoons."
He added that Pukhtoons are the a very patriotic nation and, "all Pukhtoons should not be discriminated against based on some that are involved in terrorist activities."
“We understand that it is a sensitive issue and that terrorism has been aided for a while in the country now, but I protest this operation,” Shah concluded.
8 COMMENTS
PRINT
DAWN.COM — UPDATED 4 minutes ago
8 COMMENTS
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday that Pakhuns had the complete right to reside in Punjab and allegations of their victimisation being raised in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh were attempts to "spread hatred" against Punjab.
He was speaking to reporters following a attending a meeting between Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and a delegation from the Pakhtun community led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Amir Muqam.
"Pakhtuns living in Punjab are our brothers," he quoted the chief minister as saying. "They have the same right to live and conduct business in Punjab as anyone else".
Also read: Shahbaz asked to apologise for ‘action’ against Pakhtuns
He said Pakistanis living throughout the country have to combat terrorism together and regretted that the common man sometimes had to face problems during search operations.
The minister said efforts will be made to implement the suggestions given by Muqam to consider the "protection of the four walls of houses and people's respect" during the search operations.
"It is highly condemnable that some so-called political parties and leaders in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are doing political point scoring on the matter... they want to gain people's sympathies by inflicting fear in them," he said. "This is enmity against the country."
KP lawmakers on Monday condemned the “racial” policies of the Punjab government and “victimisation” of Pakhtuns in Punjab. The assembly — through a unanimously adopted resolution — condemned the harassment and ethnic profiling of Pakhtuns in Punjab, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. They called for release of the arrested people.
“People of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including businessmen, traders and daily wagers, have settled in Punjab and other areas (of the country). Unemployment and militancy have forced Pakhtuns to migrate to other provinces to earn a living, but they are being victimised,” said the resolution.
Following a suicide attack on Lahore's Mall Road on Feb 13, Punjab’s law enforcement agencies launched a province-wide crackdown on banned militant organisations.
Days after the attack, the Provincial Intelligence Centre of the Punjab Home Department issued a letter directing police high-ups to tighten security in different cities of the province.
"Combing operations [must] be conducted in all targeted areas, particularly where the Afghan/Pathan community is residing," the letter read as the Home Department instructed law enforcement agencies to ensure extreme vigilance.
Last week, police in the Rawalpindi division also began surveillance of people belonging to Fata and considered issuing them chip-based national identity cards equipped with security features.
The Punjab Apex Committee, during a meeting in Lahore on Sunday, decided to expand the scope of the recently launched military operation Raddul Fasaad targeting terrorists, their facilitators and financiers. Ongoing counterterrorism operations by civil and military law enforcement agencies have resolved to root out terrorism, extremism and sectarianism.
Why should terrorism be associated with one ethnicity: Khursheed Shah
Addressing the media regarding his reservations about Raddul Fasad Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah said, “The new army chief has started operation Raddul Fasaad, which is a continuation of operation Zarb-e-Azb, this would only increase fasaad in the country, it will only end up increasing inter-province hatred in the country.”
“Openly discriminating against Pukhtoons, could lead to chaos and aid outside forces to make the situation even worse. This is a very dangerous game that Nawaz Sharif should be wary of,” Shah added, saying that he would protest this discrimination against any one ethnicity.
“It has been admitted already that the Punjabi Taliban have had the biggest role in terrorism in the country,” Shah said, adding that the fact that an operation was never carried out in Punjab only fuelled these terrorism attempts further as the terrorist 'nurseries' are all found in the region.
“In this scenario, should we start saying that only Punjabis are involved in terrorism and people should remain on guard against them, like people openly say it about Pukhtoons."
He added that Pukhtoons are the a very patriotic nation and, "all Pukhtoons should not be discriminated against based on some that are involved in terrorist activities."
“We understand that it is a sensitive issue and that terrorism has been aided for a while in the country now, but I protest this operation,” Shah concluded.
8 COMMENTS
