ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan on Monday challenged those in charge of security to accept responsibility for failing to protect people’s lives and property in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tender their resignations.
Taking part in the debate on the country’s law and order and increasing incidents of terrorism, Senator Mushtaq expressed regret that neither the federal nor provincial governments accepted responsibility for the failure to prevent acts of terrorism such as the tragic suicide attack in a mosque near the Police Lines in Peshawar.
Speaking on a point of order, Senator Raza Rabbani suggested to the government that the ISI and MI DGs come to the House and, if necessary, there should be an in-camera briefing from them, particularly on the issue of any talks with the TTP and progress on the issue. Prior to that, he said the interior minister should also give a policy statement on the law and order.
Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan went on to say that neither anyone from the security establishment nor anyone from the political leadership accepted the responsibility for failure and tendered their resignations. He alleged that the government also lacked seriousness on the issue of law and order and increasing acts of terrorism, as no minister concerned was present in the House during the course of an important discussion.
Senator Mushtaq said the nation, particularly the people of KP province, was suffering from terrorism, which was imposed on the nation through a decision taken by an individual. He called for holding judicial and parliamentary hearings into terror acts at the Army Public School, Bannu’s office of the Counter Terrorism Department, the escape of Ehsanullah Ehsan, the return of members of Tehrik-i- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to Swat, Bannu Jail break, and other incidents.
“There are doubts in the minds of people, and they do not believe in justifications being given by the government,” he said. He said there is more support for terrorists among youth and in society, while 1,829 Ulema of the country have given an edict declaring suicide attacks and acts of terrorism as forbidden in Islam. “The question here is why terrorist acts are taking place if there is no support for terrorists among politicians, religious circles, and society,” he said.
He also questioned as to why Ali Wazir was not being produced in the National Assembly despite the issuance of his production orders whereas Ehsanullah Ehsan managed to escape and Rao Anwaar was released. “The youth in KP province are totally disappointed while seeing an increase in acts of terrorism in the province,” he said. Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, while expressing concern over the law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said that business activity has come to a standstill. He said that terrorists were ruling over the province, as 376 acts of terrorism had taken place from May to December last year. He said that police personnel have made sacrifices during the wave of terrorism, but they lack proper training and are still fending off terrorists in the KP.
He claimed that despite spending two thousand billion rupees on security forces and police from people’s taxes, no security or protection of lives or property was provided. Senator Irfan Siddiqui of the PMLN said the previous government had wasted nearly four years but did not follow a concrete policy by taking political leaders onboard against terrorism, and spent most of that time victimising political opponents.
Federal Minister for Benazir Income Support Programme Shazia Marri called for the promotion of an effective narrative against terrorism and the revision of the syllabuses of educational institutions. She said that there was also a need to hold the previous KP government accountable for not building up the capacity of the provincial police.