Pak Punjab Govt. must take measures to curb extremist elements: Editorial

Lahore, Mar. 1 (ANI): The government in Pakistan's Punjab province needs to come out of its state of denial on the presence of terror outfits, and take appropriate measures to curb these extremist elements, an editorial in the Daily Times, has said.

Criticising the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for audaciously calling itself a 'progressive' party, the editorial says that at best, it can be described as a centre-right party.

It laments that the PML-N's decision to pursue such policies should serve as a wake up call for the people of Pakistan.

"If we want to rid our country of extremist ideology, our lawmakers should set an example instead of giving official patronage to terror outfits. An appeal to the Punjab government: stop living in denial and take effective measures to make our country safe from extremist elements," the editorial said.

It also said that it is a matter of extreme concern that a provincial law minister has been seen pandering to a banned organisation's senior leader.

Rana Sanaullah, who happens to be Punjab's Law Minister, took Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) leader Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi on a ride in his car.

He also visited the banned organisation's madrassa.

The editorial says even if it was for purely electoral purposes, should the law minister have taken along a sectarian leader with him on an election campaign?

Being a provincial law minister, Rana Sanaullah should take effective measures to curb extremism and sectarianism in Punjab. Instead he opted for hobnobbing with the leaders of such militant outfits, the editorial claims.

Some lawmakers from Punjab had raised this issue in the National Assembly last year as well, protesting that the activities of banned outfits in Jhang were going unchecked.

It should be seen as a complete failure of the government that most of these banned groups have renamed themselves before the ink had even dried on the proscription papers, the editorial oncludes. (ANI)