Pak Punjab minister rules out military operation in province

Lahore, Jun.11 (ANI): Despite extremists expanding their roots in the province, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the provincial government is against any military operation in the region, as it could further deteriorate the situation.

Sanaullah rejected the notion regarding Southern Punjab becoming a 'no go' area, and said that any 'Rahe-e-Nijat' style military operation in the province would trigger a humanitarian crisis.

He also denied that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has a 'soft corner' for extremists, saying the war on terror was a 'national cause.'

Following the brazen terror attack on two mosques belonging to minority Ahmedi sect in Lahore last month, demands of a Swat and Malakand type military offensive are being raised by various quarters.

Even Interior Minister Rehman Malik had admitted that South Punjab was fast becoming a terror safe haven, and that it was important to reign in the terror network in the region, which was receiving support from the extremists based in terror hot bed Waziristan and other ungoverned tribal regions.

Malik had said that South Punjab, where more than 44 percent of country's madrassas are, was fast becoming a terror hub.

Malik said that following the 'successful' military operations in Swat and FATA, the government was now chalking out a strategy to dismantle the terror network in South Punjab, but later backtracked from his statement, saying the federal government would conduct a targeted operation in the province only after receiving credible intelligence inputs. (ANI)