‘Cordoning off Kasab’s village bid to hide facts’
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

The government has cordoned off the Faridkot district, hometown of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai carnage, and stopped reporters from interviewing his parents, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has disclosed.

Talking to Geo TV, Sharif said the government action betrays an attempt to hide some facts about the identity of Ajmal Kasab.

He asked the government to come clean and let the world know whether Ajmal belongs to Faridkot or not. The media should be allowed to meet Ajmal’s parents who have reportedly said that Ajmal had fled their home four years ago, he said.

In an apparent bid to shed his conservative reputation and distance himself from religious extremists, Sharif said Pakistan is being blamed for most of terrorist acts in the world and finds itself isolated internationally.

“We should accept some responsibility for this sorry state of affairs and expose those who had nurtured such elements during the past eight years of Gen. Musharraf's rule,” Sharif said.

He said India and Pakistan must settle their disputes through dialogue. This medium should also be adopted to resolve conflict with the militants in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.