Shahbaz leaves for Germany as political pot boils

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday surprised the country’s political leadership by leaving on a foreign tour at a time when the government is at loggerheads with the judiciary and army over the National Reconciliation Ordinance and memo issues.
Shahbaz had already triggered a controversy demanding an apology from Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani for criticising Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani. Before leaving for Berlin to attend the International Green Week, Shahbaz told reporters at the Allama Iqbal International Airport that the present government was to be blamed for the existing situation in the country. To a question, the chief minister said the Supreme Court issued orders on NRO a number of times but no attention was paid to them, rather the court was ridiculed. He said there was no threat to democracy if someone spoke against corrupt and inefficient rulers, adding that the democratic system should survive at all costs. He alleged that it was an open secret that billions of rupees deposited in Swiss banks had been looted from Pakistan by Asif Zardari.
To another question, he said that he had asked the prime minister to offer an apology to the nation, not the army chief. He said the contempt issue was between the judiciary and the government and the decision of the prime minister to appear before the court was welcome. Shahbaz said the court’s decision was an outcome of severe confrontation of the last three-and-a-half years, following a collision course with institutions, bad governance and massive corruption.