LAHORE, Pakistan: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan has said that decision to hold Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 final in Lahore on March 5 is a testament of rejection of fear.
Talking to the senior print and electronic media journalists at the Chief Minister Secretariat in Lahore on Thursday, he said the holding of finals in Pakistan also reflected the government’s will to grapple with the menace of terrorism and defeat it.
“Had the government opted not to hold the PSL finals in Pakistan, it would have been assumed that we had succumbed to the threats of terrorists”, added the minister.
Rana Sanaullah said the government had allowed the PSL finals in Lahore as per the aspirations and zeal of the public who wished the return of cricket to the playgrounds of the country.
To a question, the minister said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had appointed Commissioner Lahore Abdullah Sumbal as the focal person on all matters regarding the PSL final in Lahore.
He called upon the media houses to avoid negativity and unnecessary reporting regarding the coverage of the PSL final as the whole world will be watching the long-awaited cricketing event in the country.
Talking about the success on the front of war against terror, he said there had been 80 per cent decrease in the terrorism-related incidents over the past two years in Punjab.
He said the National Action Plan (NAP) had been implemented in letter and spirit and its success could be assessed from the fact that terrorists had fled to Afghanistan after successful operation in the South Waziristan. He said no facilitator, in the recent deplorable Lahore blast, was from Punjab, adding that the facilitator of the Lahore blast was from Bajaur agency.
The minister dispelled the impression about victimization of the Pakhtuns in search and combing operations across the province, adding that Punjabis and Pakhtuns were being treated equally while this propaganda was launched by a political party with vested political interests.
Sanaullah said Pakhtuns were our brothers and had every right of residence and business in Punjab, saying propaganda in this regard was regrettable.
About inviting the PPP and PTI leadership to the PSL final, he said the matter of inviting heads of political parties and others was the prerogative of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), adding that the Punjab government was responsible for the security of the event only.
