Governor advises ‘N’ to measure up itself

While defending PPP’s decisions and dispelling disfigured impressions about them and the Party, Governor Punjab Salman Taseer has asked the PML-N – repeatedly using pronoun ‘they’ instead of pinpointing – to clean its house and measure up itself first prior to judging the Federal Government’s performance and doings.
“Being run as per court’s stay Punjab government has miserably failed repeatedly, and the PPP is constantly supporting it to move on so that the present dispensation and system remain intact,” maintained the Governor on Sunday while addressing gatherings of his party leaders and workers at Muridkey and Naushahra Virkan, where had gone to inaugurate sui gas supply and paddy harvesting. Party leaders accused PML-N local leadership for the deteriorating law and order situation.
He brushed aside the impression of a questioner about the endgame of the ‘fight fire with fire’ between the PPP and N-League by saying that he was correcting the provincial govt and giving honest advice so that people did not suffer because of their wrongdoings. He mentioned that when the Punjab govt initiated Food Stamp Scheme and gave Rs 5million to each MPA, he had told Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif that the Scheme lacked transparency. “Resultantly, billions of rupees were embezzled. Secondly, I raised objection to the Sasti Roti Scheme considering the fact it will not benefit the intended class, rather will serve political purposes. In both cases, the CM was forced to eat humble pie after losing stupendous amounts of money to ambitious projects,” he observed, while predicting that the Danish Schools would also be a failure, like the previous ones. “Instead of improving the existing schools and helping the poor students, he (CM) wants to establish more Aitchison Colleges,” he opined.
The Governor lauded the Centre for carrying out transparent projects sans any political considerations, and achieving the desired results in due course. He cited ‘World Bank and IMF appreciated’ Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme, and Watan Cards as recent success stories of the Centre. “We provided provinces with Cards, and now if the N-League is bragging about its success, we have no objection since it is meant for the people,” he asserted, while adding that the PPP would not rest till all flood affectees were rehabilitated. “What is Nawaz Sharif doing in London? Is the flood job over in Pakistan?” he questioned.
He lauded President Asif Ali Zardari for shedding his powers through the 18th Amendment, and criticising the PML-N for bringing ‘Mastikhel Resolution’ against the media. He added that Nawaz Sharif admitted to Zardari that the former was not anticipating the passage of the Amendment and due to this, he (Sharif) was critical of the govt.
Salman Taseer quizzed the N-League about demanding share from foreign funding when it was repeatedly arguing that no funds had been given to the Centre because of PPP’s dubious credibility. “If no money has been given, why are you demanding share?” he asked.
While dismissing rumours about govt’s change, Taseer prophesied that the PPP would rule till 2033 when only N-League’s kids would be there. “Who is Premier Gilani’s replacement? Which is the national party to form govt at Centre?” he quizzed again, while chiding that the PML-N was not even a GT Road party since it had lost by-polls even. “They no more talk of mid-term elections now after losing these slots,” he commented.
About opening of cases against Zardari as per Supreme Court’s directions, he was of the view that the cases had lost standing now. “Nawaz Sharif had begged pardon from Benazir Bhutto at the signing of the Charter of Democracy, while their architect Saif-ur-Rehman had fallen on Zardari’s feet for committing these blunders upon others’ instructions,” he said.
The Governor visibly disapproved creating Taseer-Rana Sana equation, and said he never mentioned Law Minister’s name ever.
Regarding the recent appointment of Chairman NAB, Acting President PPP Punjab Sami Ullah Khan observed that the process was followed as per constitution. “If political affiliation is a question mark on one’s credibility, then doubt should be raised about once-a-upon N-League’s councillor Chief Justice Lahore High Court Khawaja Muhammad Sharif,” he remarked.