KP Assembly condemns Quetta attack

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday passed a unanimous resolution condemning the suicide attack in Quetta that killed more than 70 people and asked the whole nation to stand against the menace of terrorism.

Provincial Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi presented the resolution that was drafted by both the treasury and opposition parties and was passed unanimously.

The routine agenda of the session was suspended to show solidarity with the victims of the horrific blast.The resolution termed it an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty and noted that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly condemned it in the strongest words.

Taking part in the debate, opposition leader Maulana Lutfur Rehman condemned the suicide explosion on behalf of his party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl.He said there has been an increase in target killings, kidnappings and extortion incidents, particularly in the province.

“The government should take concrete steps to eliminate terrorism and restore peace. There is unrest and uncertainly among the people due to acts of terrorism. The government must focus on the National Action Plan (NAP) and implement all its points in letter and spirit,” he demanded.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Senior Minister and provincial head of Qaumi Watan Party Sikandar Sherpao said the NAP should be continuously reviewed because terrorists were constantly changing their tactics.

“Their tactics should be countered and monitored. In order to restore peace in the region, there must be a comprehensive strategy. Pakistan and Afghanistan should begin a dialogue for the purpose,” he added.

Sikandar Sherpao said Islamabad and Kabul should stop the blame-game and work on a common strategy against common enemies.“Sending the Afghan refugees by using various tactics would tarnish Pakistan’s image. A number of problems being faced by people of this region would get resolved automatically if Fata is merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said, adding that unrest among small federating units was increasing day by day.

Condemning the killing of innocent people in the Quetta suicide attack, ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said the KP government should officially announce mourning in the province.

“Militancy is not an issue of a single party or individual and there should be no compromise on terrorism,” he said, adding that people had pinned their hopes on NAP that it would help to get rid of this menace.

He asked the government to revisit the NAP and implement all its points. He said that Pakhtuns were being killed whether they were in KP, Karachi, Fata or even in Balochistan.He asked the government to send the Afghan refugees with respect and dignity as use of force would tarnish the good image of Pakistan, where they had lived for more than three decades as refugees.

On the behalf of PPP, Fakhr-i-Azam Wazir said that each and every institution and segment of the society had been under attack since long. “Owing to the NAP, the situation had improved to a great extent. However, its 100 percent implementation would produce the desired results,” he said.

He added that there was a dire need to show unity, and not waste time on staging sit-ins.Senior Minister Inayatullah Khan condemned the incident on behalf of his party, the Jamaat-i-Islami, and said the attack was inhuman and against the teachings of Islam. He said the apex committees were regularly monitoring the implementation of NAP, but all of its points should be implemented. He said he along with his senior colleague Sikandar Sherpao had discussed the Afghan refugees issue with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak so that they were repatriated in a dignified way. He said the KP government should take up this matter with the federal government.

PML-N’s parliamentary leader Aurangzeb Nalotha condemned the Quetta blast and lauded the role of the people and security forces in the war against terrorism. He said conspiracies were being hatched against Pakistan and it was time to show unity. He said that people had voted for the N-League and the PTI for eliminating terrorism.

Public Health Engineering Minister Shah Farman, who belongs to the ruling PTI, condemned the suicide attack in Quetta and said this was the right time to take right decisions. He said unity was necessary to defeat terrorism. He added the government was repatriating those Afghans who didn’t have proper documentation.

Besides others, Uzma Khan, Deena Naz, Aizazul Mulk Afkari and Qurban Ali Khan also condemned the Quetta attack.Later, Deputy Speaker Mehr Taj Roghani adjourned the session till Wednesday afternoon.