LONDON: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that anti-Western sentiments may exist in Pakistan but their scale is exaggerated to malign the common people of Pakistan. Addressing a reception here hosted for 30 visiting, high achieving students from Pakistan’s different universities, Shahbaz Sharif told the community members and the students that he was told by a senior government figure that high anti-Western sentiments in Pakistan were a cause of worry. Shahbaz said he explained to the official that Pakistanis looked up to the West for the excellent progress they had made through the right use of the resources and the scientific knowledge, and they wanted similar welfare system in Pakistan. Shahbaz said that mindless anti-Westernism was no help to anyone and called for constructive criticism. He said there was a strong need to promote dialogue between Pakistan and the Western world across all the contentious issues and otherwise. He appreciated that Britain was spending millions of pounds on welfare projects in Pakistan, adding that sincere efforts made to help Pakistani people must be appreciated. He blamed the “war on terror” as the single biggest factor which created a gulf between Pakistan and rest of the world. He said the war against terrorism was now Pakistan’s own war but it was imposed upon the country by the adventurous outsiders. He said the critics of Pakistan need to understand that terrorism was directly linked to injustice, poverty, deprivation and lack of opportunities for the poor people. He said 40,000 Pakistanis sacrificed their lives for the rest of the world which was the biggest proof of Pakistan being the biggest victim of terrorism and injustice in the world. “Where the enemies of Pakistan failed to hurt the interests of Pakistan, certain unscrupulous elements within Pakistan were causing more damage to Pakistan,” he said, adding that the tales of corruption shaming the world record were a fact of
life in Pakistan and the whole nation must accept the fact that Pakistan had some of the biggest crooks in the world who were responsible for the plight of Pakistan today. The Punjab chief minister mentioned recent cases of corruption and warned that until corruption was there, Pakistan would not become a prosperous nation. He said his Daanish school projects were a beacon of light because these schools aimed to empower the most disadvantaged children of Pakistan. Daanish schools were producing excellent results and their educational standard rivalled that of Eaton and Harrow, he added. The 30 top position holders of Pakistan are on a visit to three countries: Turkey, Germany and the United Kingdom. This is an official visit, supported by the Punjab government. The aim is to allow students to experience different cultures and see higher education establishments in these countries. Meanwhile, the chief minister and his delegation met Lord McNally, Minister of State for Justice and Deputy Leader in the House of Lords; Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; Baroness Sayeeda Warsi; Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development; and British Council officials. He also addressed a business dinner of businessmen from Pakistan and India.
