On March 14th, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif issued a controversial statement regarding the recent string of bombings in the provincial capital. The PML-N President stated that since his party, like the Taliban, opposed the Musharraf regime, the Taliban should not carry out acts of terror in Punjab. This highly irresponsible statement came with showering criticism, including both treasury and opposition benches in the National Assembly. Punjab Governor Salman Taseer went as far as branding Shahbaz Sharif an ally of the terrorists. This was followed by a vague response from the Chief Minister claiming he was quoted out of context.
Calling Shahbaz Sharif an ally of the terrorists for this careless slip would be somewhat of a stretch. To be fair to him, he is the Chief Minister of Punjab and therefore, he is expected to speak in the provincial context. However, pleading to the Taliban to spare his province, particularly when national consensus is needed most to strengthen the anti-terrorism cause, is simply irresponsible. His statement not only implied that his party is sympathetic to the Taliban, but also that the terrorist attacks in other provinces were justified. It is therefore absolutely necessary for Shahbaz Sharif to publicly apologize for his statement.
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