Shahbaz Sharif wants better coordination with Taleban

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Re: Shahbaz Sharif wants better coordination with Taleban

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

TTP offers ‘deal’ to Punjab government
*Daily Times Monitor *

LAHORE: A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman has said that the organisation would stop targeting public and government places in Punjab if the provincial government gave an assurance that the Taliban would be spared from any action, a private TV channel reported on Monday.

Talking to the channel, Mohmand Agency Ameer Abdul Wali alias Umar Khalid, who is also the deputy of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud, offered the Punjab government a conditional end to its activities in the province.

The offer comes after a statement by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif where he said, “Musharraf planned a bloodbath of innocent Muslims at the behest of others only to prolong his rule, but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) opposed his policies and rejected dictation from abroad, thus the Taliban are fighting for the same cause and should not carry out acts of terror in Punjab.”

However, the Punjab CM on Monday said his remarks were misinterpreted and taken out of context. He said that it was a matter of record that he had always talked about Pakistan and had stated on numerous occasions in support of all victims of terror, especially the people of NWFP, “who were bearing the brunt of the terrorist attacks”.

The CM also said the Pakistan Army was fighting for the survival of the country and it was necessary for all political parties and politicians to rise above factional and parochial interests to root out terrorism. “Similarly, there is a need for closer contacts between intelligence agencies of the provinces and the centre,” he said.

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Do you think that sense has to do anything with bashing!!! i guess no, so thats what is happening in this thread the thread starter has started the thread with wrong/half information/truth...

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At this point, there should be no political space for anyone to say that they share the same agenda as that of the Taleban, even with an ‘if’. He presented a reductive picture of what they want, he did not mention the establishment of sharia, the shutting down of girls schools, the killing/extortion of minorities. By presenting a sanitized picture of their aims that their apologists would present he legitimizes them.

There is a very major difference of meaning in the sentence as structured by you, and as said by Shahbaz Sharif. What do you have, besides conjecture, to base your charitable reconstruction of intent on? Even your supposed key word ‘if’ is questionable, other sources have it as “thus the Taliban are fighting for the same cause and should not carry out acts of terror in Punjab”, possibly due to translation.

But lets say ‘if’. Can you substantiate your reconstruction based on the ‘if’. Can you find a previous statement where SS has, in more equivocal terms, said that Taleban arent fighting against foreign influence, or criticised their agenda? Their usual strategy is to distance themselves from their methods while retaining some wiggle room.

Punjab is under attack only lately. The main victims have been FATA/Waziristan and NWFP, and no other province comes close. Lahore has probably had a similar number of incidents as Karachi.

You are disingenuous though when you say that the reason he only mentions punjab is because he is CM of punjab. In context he is clearly saying that if it is true that PML and Taleban share the same goals, and because of the political activity of his party (opposing kerry-luger bill), punjab should not be attacked.

Seems to be working. Pathetic.

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Re: Shahbaz Sharif wants better coordination with Taleban

Remember N & Q never attacked by Taliban or Allies.
They are brothers by birth.
Munafiq ki Baqiat.
See this report from Dawn and see Show-bazi of Sh..baz.

     **Cornered PML-N launches bid to limit damage **      
            Dawn Correspondent

Tuesday, 16 Mar, 2010

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/64b7fe0041c31a798de49d8c2f96136c/608x325.jpg?MOD=AJPERES

During the national uproar, the PML-N continued to make failed efforts to control the situation, but without much success. –Photo by AP

**ISLAMABAD: The entire counter-terrorism effort being spearheaded by the country’s security forces went into a tailspin on Monday following a bizarre statement made by Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif a day earlier, pleading the Taliban to spare Punjab from terrorist attacks, prompting a strong reaction from those supporting the efforts to eradicate religious extremism from the country, with Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) making desperate efforts throughout the day to dilute the effects of the controversial statement. ** The statement, mainly for its parochial overtone, also came as a rude shock to those who otherwise have their reservations about the army’s efforts to eliminate Taliban, Al-Qaeda and foreign militants from the country’s lawless tribal region.
While Punjab Governor Salman Taseer — for obvious reasons — was the first to denounce the chief minister and accuse him of being an ally of the Taliban, many others thought Shahbaz Sharif’s appeal to the Taliban to “spare Punjab” amounted to justifying terrorist attacks in the rest of the country.
It was amid this raging controversy that the Punjab chief minister had an unscheduled meeting with Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Rawalpindi. What transpired during this one-to-one meeting was not made public, but at least two private television channels, in their late-night bulletins, said the main topic of discussion was Mr Shahbaz’s controversial statement, and its possible repercussions on the army’s fight against religious extremists. One of the TV channels even claimed that the Punjab chief minister was told that his remarks could undermine the entire military operation in which over 2,000 army personnel had lost their lives. Shahbaz reportedly clarified his remarks and claimed that they had been presented “out of context”.
General Kayani has expressed his displeasure over the statement issued by the Punjab Chief Minister regarding the Taliban, DawnNews reported.

He expressed these sentiments during the meeting with Shahbaz Sharif.
According to DawnNews sources, the Punjab Chief Minister, explained to the Army Chief that his statement regarding the Taliban had been twisted by the media. He claimed that he did not support nor did he want any alliance with the Taliban.
After his meeting with the army chief, the Punjab chief minister clearly avoided talking to the waiting journalists at Islamabad airport and quietly left for Lahore. Even on his arrival in the Punjab capital he refused to say anything in front of the cameras.
However, several senior members of his party took pain throughout the day in defending him. Party’s secretary general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra’s logic was that since Mian Shahbaz Sharif was the chief minister of Punjab it was understandable that he only spoke in terms of his province while referring to the Taliban’s actions in the country.
An official statement issued by the Punjab government, quoting the chief minister, indirectly criticised the media for what it said was an incorrect interpretation of the statement. “I had expressed my views on incidents of terrorism in Punjab and bomb blasts in Lahore. Therefore, I also referred to Punjab in my speech which some persons tried to twist to their own liking,” the clarification quoted him as saying.
“I have always talked about Pakistan and have also stated on numerous occasions that the proud people of NWFP were fighting for the survival of Pakistan,” Mr Sharif said.
But the Punjab governor was not impressed. He described the chief minister’s statement as an attempt to create divisions within the federation. Expressing regrets over Mr Sharif’s statement, Governor Salmaan Taseer said that the PML-N had proved that they and Taliban were ‘natural allies’.
“The chief minister’s statement gives an impression as if the PML-N and Taliban are like brothers,” Mr Taseer wondered. He was talking to journalists after attending the convocation of Pak-Aims on Monday. He said the federal government’s foreign policy on war on terror was independent and it was not the duty of the chief minister to form foreign policy of the country.
“The president and the prime minister have made it clear that we will not quit the field in fight against Taliban and extend full support to the army. On the one hand our jawans and citizens are being martyred in the war on terror and on the other Shahbaz Sharif is pleading before them (Taliban) to spare Punjab,” the governor said and questioned the chief minister as to what message he was trying to give.
“We are first Pakistani and then Punjabi, Sindhi, Baloch and Pathan. Shahbaz’s statement gives an impression that Taliban should spare Punjab and carry out terror activities in other provinces of the country,” he said.
The reaction in other parts of the country was even stronger, with many members in the provincial assembly of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) lashing out at the Punjab chief minister for playing politics with the war that had been imposed on the country by religious extremists.
During this uproar, those from the PML-N continued to make failed efforts to control the situation, but without much success.
Political observers say it’s difficult to say what may have prompted Shahbaz Sharif to make such remarks. However, many of them were convinced that it had done more damage to the PML-N and its politics in nearly three years than all other actions.
However, if there was any consolation, a TV report quoted the PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif as saying in London that he regarded the Taliban as mercenaries and “paid killers”, thus suggesting that he too was on the side of the army and government as far as dealing with religious extremism and terrorism in the country was concerned.

Who can forget meetings of N$ with Ben Laden

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Well if you hate Shahbaz then nothing can convince you. I dont keep a record of SS’s statement, but, this particular one is being blown out of proportion. He never seems to suggest that he shares political goals with Talibs, only the contrary he suggests that they do not share goals with Taliban, bcause there acts show that they dont.

Forget about the translation to “if” or “thus”. He used the term “agar”, which translates as “if” and not thus.

I don’t know how again you conclude that bcoz he only mentioned Punjab, hence he says they share goals. You are putting words in his mouth.

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Janab, have you forgtten who helped Taliban capture Kabul, aap ki shaheed Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto.

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Please find a previous instance of me 'hating' on Shahbaz. To my mind, it was a boneheaded thing to say as a CM, a bit of a freudian slip more than a well-considered statement, indicative of what their mindset is. For which he is receiving a completely justified flogging now. A little more of this flogging and PML will finally dissociate itself firmly from the militias.

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I dont keep a record of SS's statement,

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Cop out. Google exists so people dont have to keep records in their heads.

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but, this particular one is being blown out of proportion. He never seems to suggest that he shares political goals with Talibs, only the contrary he suggests that they do not share goals with Taliban, bcause there acts show that they dont.

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Again, on what basis do you say this. You have completely reconstructed his statement, implying a completely different intent. You offer absolutely no basis for this reconstruction.

Its simple, if he has a track record that suggests he doesnt share their goals or legitimises their agenda, you can substantiate that.

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Forget about the translation to "if" or "thus". He used the term "agar", which translates as "if" and not thus.

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Fair enough. Now all you have to do is justify your reconstructed sentence.

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I don't know how again you conclude that bcoz he only mentioned Punjab, hence he says they share goals. You are putting words in his mouth.
[/QUOTE]

I never said its just because he mentioned Punjab. Punjab is the consequent of the shared goals hypothesis. He mentioned Punjab because thats where they are ruling, and if it is true that PML and Taleban share the same goals, and because of the political activity of his party (opposing kerry-luger bill), punjab should not be attacked.

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Re: Shahbaz Sharif wants better coordination with Taleban

Is there a video of Shahbaz Sharif's video? Can any one post a link?

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wow. What is being done to raise concern for this type of thinking from a high ranking public figure? just wow.

NO TO TALIBAN. Does not understand that?

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Thanks for acknowledging that shared goals is a hypothesis!

Here is the statement of SS as i remember from tv clips that are being played every hour now

sawal ye hai ke, agar taleban ka ye nuqtae nazar hai ke wo, aghyaar ki dictation key khilaaf haiN, phir tu un ko punjab per hamley nahiN kerney chahiyeN

i do not see any pleading in this statement, in which case he shud have said, that "taleban Punjab par hamley na karaiN". The very first part of sentence "sawal ye hai ke", shows that he is making a case against Taleban by asking a question and then making it stronger by saying that them attacking us is against Talebs and them having a shared goal.

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Re: Shahbaz Sharif wants better coordination with Taleban

There is another confirmation again. Today.
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****I arranged five meetings between Nawaz Sharif and Osama : Ex-ISI official **

**
2010-03-21
In a stunning disclosure that once again confirmed the nexus between Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and banned militant outfits, a former ISI official, Khalid Khwaja, has claimed to have arranged at least five meetings between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
In an interview with a private television channel, Khwaja said Sharif has met several Islamic movement leaders around the world, including Osama and asked him to provide fund for ‘development projects’.
Khwaja said that he had arranged three meeting between Sharif and Osama in Saudi Arabia.
“Nawaz insisted that I arrange a direct meeting with Osama, which I did in Saudi Arabia. Nawaz was looking for a 500 million rupees grant from Osama. Although Osama provided a comparatively smaller sum … he secured for Nawaz a meeting with the Saudi royal family,” The Daily Times quoted Khwaja, as saying.
He also claimed that Osama had provided him funds to hand over to the incumbent Punjab Chief Minister to overthrow the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s government.
"I still remember that Osama provided me funds that I handed over to then Punjab chief minister Nawaz to topple Benazir Bhutto’s government,"Khwaja said.
Khwaja claimed that he maintained a close relationship between Osama, as after being ‘forced’ to retire he went to Afghanistan in 1987 and fought against the Soviet troops ‘alongside Osama.’ ANI

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Some seriously blinkered thinking from Rana ..
“Not all banned outfits and organisations are involved in terrorist activities”](Special Report, NOS, The News International)
– Rana Sanaullah, Provincial Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs
By Waqar Gillani

The News on Sunday: How do you view the ‘Punjabi Taliban’ and their reported role in attacks in the province?

Rana Sanaullah: A specific lobby is, intentionally or unintentionally, popularising the term ‘Punjabi Taliban’, when there is actually no Punjabi or Sindhi or Sarhadi among Taliban; they are all terrorists. However, nothing should be taken to mean that we believe in their dogma or mission. Let me state that we do not support their efforts to destabilise Pakistan and spread terrorism in the country.

Having said that, it should be understood that the roots of these Taliban cannot be traced in a single geographical area or language. Their existence is based on an ideology – which is actually a misinterpretation of Islam.

TNS: There is a perception that many banned outfits like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Jaish-e-Muhammad are part of these ‘Punjabi Taliban’?

RS: We cannot say that all banned outfits and organisations are involved in terror activities. But after these organisations were banned some of their elements joined extremist groups like Taliban and went to Waziristan to take part in the war on terror. Now, it is not that easy or useful to lodge cases against all of them and arrest them. They are not here in Punjab. Besides, their arrest will serve no purpose. We cannot bracket all members of banned organisations together. For example, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan was banned but, later, they formed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and, eventually, Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnah. But we have no evidence against them. We apprehended the suspects but if no connection is established between Sipah-e-Sohaba and the others, how can we take action against them?

TNS: What about the investigations that maintained that LeJ had become a part of Taliban?

RS: Let me state that the people and organisations that were involved in Jihad-e-Afghanistan had a legal status and they received official training from the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) during that period. These jihadis were very dear to the government of the time. After the ‘jihad’ ended, not everyone turned into terrorists, but we can say that all those who did become terrorists were from these organisations. Now they are based in South Waziristan. We’ll try to arrest them when they are here.

TNS: If you believe that all terrorists belong to banned outfits why does the Punjab government not admit this reality of Taliban from Punjab?

RS: I repeat that the terrorists come from different parts of Pakistan. If someone is in Lahore, should we name him as ‘Lahori Taliban’? The Soviet-Afghan war saw jihadis coming from all over the world, including the Arab countries. Does that mean, we have had the ‘Arab Taliban’? Terrorists are terrorists. They don’t have any geography.

Secondly, Rehman Malik’s statement is not rooted in reality. Is their a division among the ranks or wings of Taliban so that they should be placed geographically?

TNS: Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s recent statement has met with a strong reaction from the general public. Do you really think Punjab has a reason why it should be spared by the Taliban?

RS: There is a media cell functioning in the Governor’s House [in Lahore] and a private television channel which are constantly propagating against PML-N and its leadership. It was an obviously ill-intentioned – though, failed – attempt on the part of this media group to tarnish the image of PML-N. The CM made the much-tomtommed comment in a specific context. There was a question in a Geo TV programme about the attacks in Lahore and the CM responded to that only. His response was actually only a speculation where he said the Taliban were against foreign dictation and so is PML-N, so there is no reason for them to attack Punjab.

TNS: There is a general impression that PML-N has a soft corner for Islamic and religious groups and outfits. Even General (r) Musharraf said this at many places that Nawaz Sharif was very close to Taliban? What do you have to say about that?

RS: Let me say this once and for all that PML-N loves Islam and that we are close to all Islamic organisations that work for its true message which is tolerance, equality and peace. But we are against terrorism. That is why we supported operation in Waziristan. The CM [Punjab] also made this clear in the federal cabinet meeting held last week.

As far as Musharraf is concerned, PML-N believes he is responsible for all the chaos there is in the country and he is the biggest culprit. He bears grudges against Nawaz Sharif which is why he is making up such stories.

TNS: But the PML-N proved this soft corner when it made Sipah-e-Sahaba its ally in Jhang by-polls held in March. Comment.

RS: There is no existence of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan. Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi represents Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnah. Pakistan People’s Party approached them so that it could benefit from their vote bank, and we did the same. Governor Punjab even went up to Bahawalnagar, seeking the support of these elements. Whereas we did this only to get their votes. Also, let me make this very clear that they are not terrorists. I can say on record that Allama Sajid Naqvi and Ahmad Ludhianvi are not terrorists. They (as persons) are not banned; it’s their organisations that are banned. And, the constitution allows forming a new organisation when the previous one is banned. We know how Awami National Party was banned in Pakistan but it formed a new party. We have no proof against Ludhianvi or Sajid Naqvi being terrorists. When we have proof, we will act accordingly.

TNS: There have been a number of attacks in Punjab but no investigation findings have been made public yet. Why?

RS: These investigations cannot be made public. In fact, since all attacks are linked together, the investigations are an ongoing process and cannot be complete. Leakage of any investigation findings can help the terrorists.

TNS: Does the PML-N plan to launch a crackdown against Taliban in Punjab?

RS: We are taking action against all those elements that are part of Taliban. But the federal interior minister is giving irresponsible statements.

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Re: Shahbaz Sharif wants better coordination with Taleban

Afridi’s Ball-Chewing = Shahbaz ‘ Stament