Says Quetta incident is a test case for PM; questions why agencies, which can find needle from muddy water, can’t find terrorists; what message was sent when the two Sharifs went to Quetta separately; only blaming RAW won’t serve purpose; terrorists are on payroll of agencies; NA passes unanimous resolution to condemn carnage in Balochistan capital
ISLAMABAD: Mehmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), while speaking in the National Assembly, termed the Quetta suicide attack, which claimed over 70 lives, as an attack on the country and failure of intelligence agencies and called upon the prime minister to take it as a test case and task intelligence and security agencies to hold an inquiry into the barbaric act and give them a time-frame.
“Those people of intelligence agencies who fail to give results should be dismissed,” he said.He questioned as to why the intelligence agencies had been failing to trace out terrorists. “Why the intelligence agencies, which can recover a needle from dirty water, have not been able to trace out terrorists?” he asked.
Achakzai termed the attack in Quetta an attack on Pakistan. He said, “Only blaming RAW will not serve the purpose; rather we also need to reform ourselves,” he said.He said that Pakistan should not indulge in any proxy war. “We should demonstrate that we are not mercenaries,” he said.
Calling for action against terrorists without any discrimination, he said the government, the armed forces and judiciary needed to make a renewed pledge to fight against terrorism. “The government should declare that the nation is in a state of war,” he said.
He alleged that terrorists were on the payroll of agencies, saying then how terror attacks could be stopped. “There are also people who attend official ceremonies whereas they should be in prisons,” he said.
He said the two Sharifs visited Quetta separately following the suicide attack. “What message do we want to give to the rest of the world?” Mehmood Achakzai asked.After offering Fateha for the departed souls of those said he would not participate in Fateha in the House in future. “I want to ask whether this is meant to offer Fateha only,” he said.
Achakzai said the prime minister should immediately call joint sitting of Parliament to review internal and external policies of the country. “The attack in Quetta is conspiracy against country and democracy,” he said.
He said the bureaucracy of the country presented new logic and theories every day. He maintained that the war against terrorism could not be won on the basis of emotions but it required support and spirit of the whole nation.
He said they would safeguard the China Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) saying the media should also extend its support to the corridor. Taking part in debate Amjad Ali Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said the entire nation was grieved over the terrorist attacks in Quetta which resulted in the loss of precious lives including those of lawyers and media persons. He said India is involved in sabotage activities in the country and they should expose its ugly face before the world.
He said that National Action Plan should be implemented in letter and spirit in order to avert such despicable acts in future. Akram Khan Durrani of JUI-F said that attack in Quetta should be declared as an attack on the country observing that the Balochistan chief minister and the Chief of the Army Staff had also termed the incident a conspiracy against the CPEC. “This is very important statement and we will have name of our enemy and expose face of the country behind the conspiracy,” he said.
Abdus Sattar Bhachani of PPP said the whole nation needed to come on a single page while forgetting all the differences. “We fear after watching television channels that who is ruling over the country,” he said.
He said it was being said that it was attack on CPEC. “What is benefit of CPEC if lives of our people are not safe,” Bhachani said. He pointed out that intelligence was very strong during Ziaul Haq era questioning as to why the intelligence agencies remained unaware when they knew that conspiracies were being hatched against CPEC.
The PPP parliamentarian from Sindh also came harsh on the Interior Minister saying that the minister was not seen anywhere following Quetta attack. He said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan would immediately engage media for six hours and emerge on television channels screen if he was to give statements on Rangers issue in Sindh. “Chaudhry Nisar was roaming in Blue Area of Islamabad when the prime minister was in Quetta,” he said.
Sher Akbar Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) said the government should ensure peace in the country saying the government, political parties and military leadership should sit together to address menace of terrorism.
Naeema Kishwar Khan of JUI-F questioned as to whether there were angels who were drafting policies of the country. “This is seriousness of the government that the House is incomplete today and this is reason that angels make our policies,” she said.
Naeema Kishwar said that Pakistan also required to improve relations with Afghanista, India and Iran and to reconsider its policies. “Mulla Mansoor was also holding Pakistani identity card and we will have to reconsider our policies,” she said.
Munazza Ahsan while terming the incident highly condemnable said the lawyers should have provided proper security in hospital following targeting killing of their senior colleague.
Tahira Aurangzeb of PML-N suggested the members should give their one month salary in compensation to the bereaved families of Quetta tragedy. She said that peace is imperative to achieve the goal of progress and prosperity in the country. She said all the political parties should rise above their differences and get united to foil the designs of enemies. Ghous Baksh Mehr said the institutions should admit their failure as, he said, the Indian spy was arrested red-handed but the issue was not properly highlighted at the international level.
Major (R) Tahir Iqbal while expressed condolence with bereaved families said the cream of lawyers’ community was martyred. He said the incidents of terrorism in the country had reduced due to efficiency of intelligence agencies like Inter-Services Intelligence. “We need to avoid point-scoring and find out a solution to end terrorism in the country,” the PML-N parliamentarian said.
Earlier, the National Assembly (NA) passed a unanimous resolution strongly condemning the barbaric terror act in Quetta and expressed the resolve to foil the nefarious designs of the anti-state elements and sternly deal with the terrorist elements.
The resolution moved by Law Minister Zahid Hamid said the entire nation was grieved over the loss of precious lives including that of Balochistan Bar President Bilal Anwar Kansi in the cowardly act.
The resolution said, “The House stands by the people of Balochistan, the lawyer fraternity, law enforcement agencies and the media in this hour of grief.” The House through the resolution observed that the Quetta-like incidents could not deter the resolve of the nation against terrorism. Expressing condolence over the deaths caused by terror acts, the resolution prayed for the early recovery of those injured in the attacks.
