LAHORE: Expressing its concern at, what it says, slack attitude of Punjab towards the war on terror the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has put up nine questions before the Shahbaz government.

Releasing the questionnaire to the media here on Sunday, PAT secretary general Khurram Nawaz Gundapur said the chief minister must also explain whether his (CM’s) indecisiveness was out of fear (of the extremists).

The PAT has asked why the Punjab Assembly (PA) did not even talk about terrorism and law and order during its current session; why the CM has not given any policy statement from the floor of the House yet on the issue of terrorism; why the MPAs, of them two-thirds, belonging to the ruling party, mostly miss the assembly session as proceedings have to be put off for lack of quorum repeatedly; why the PA has not yet approved the resolution that “war against terrorism is a war of Pakistan”, and why the assembly speaker did not allow the members to talk on the issue of terrorism.

Asks whether CM is ‘afraid of extremists’

The PAT has also asked the government to explain that intelligence agencies have identified 14,000 Madaris (seminaries) in Punjab as the government lacks the record and why the CM is not answering this question; at least 10,000 schools in the province are without main gate and boundary walls, ‎why the government is not releasing funds for provision of these facilities in spite of budget allocations.

Referring to Education Minister Rana Mashhood’s statement about forming a youth force against terrorism, the PAT has sought explanation, asking whether the PML-N intends to develop armed groups in private sector again and above all why the Shahbaz government withdrew the written request for detention of Malik Ishaq.

Also read: Punjab’s myth of good governance exposed: PAT

Mr Gundapur said the chief minister owed answers to these questions to the nation otherwise the people would be forced to realise that the government was following dual policies.

The Punjab government’s spokesman Syed Zaeem Qadri says that in the present circumstances, all the political parties have agreed to a national agenda for coping with terrorism. He urged the PAT to also extend its support to the cause, saying “politics on non-issues, based on questionnaire may harm national interests”.

Mr Qadri said the Punjab government was vigilant and it would not allow anyone to succeed in any “nefarious” designs against the state and the people. He said the Punjab Assembly had also unanimously supported the steps against terrorism and the PAT should not level allegations without verification.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2014