Karachi attack aimed at destabilising Pak-China ties: Rabbani

ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Wednesday condemned the Karachi suicide attack and said such monoeuvres are made to destabilise the strategic relationship between Pakistan and China.

“These are crude attempts to destabilise the CPEC, which is a game-changer for Pakistan as it will free Pakistan from the evil clutches of the IMF and other western international donor agencies,” he said and added what is alarming is the fact that terrorists organizations are recruiting suicide bombers who are not only women but also persons belonging to the educated middle class.

He said extreme nationalism has spread to such an extent that educated women are willing to lay down their lives. “This means that the seeds of oppression, suppression, alienation and deprivation are so deep that they are motivating violent reaction against the state and its strategic interests.”

He said the feeling of political deprivation, be it in the shape of usurpation of rights, missing people or lack of control over natural resources, should be addressed immediately by the federation. He said the state must realize that the question of missing persons, particularly in Balochistan, is a mistrust of the state in the judicial system. He said if any person or group is involved in anti-state activities, they should be subjected to the law and brought to courts of competent jurisdiction to try and, if evidence exists, convict them.

Rabbani said national consensus among all political parties and stakeholders has to be achieved as was done by the PPP when it announced the Package of Aaghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan. There is the need to take steps with national consensus to formulate the Package of Takmil-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan.