Political, religious leaders condemn terrorist attack

Leaders of various political parties as well as religious scholars condemned the terrorist attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) on Friday and expressed their resolve to eradicate terrorism from the country.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon in his statement said the provincial government did not have any specific threat alert in advance that an installation like the building of the KPO could come under attack by terrorists.

He explained that he had himself attended top-level meetings on law and order in the province and he knew that the authorities did not have any such threat alert in advance. He added that the Sindh chief minister had himself been monitoring the operation after the attack. The CM had declared emergency in the government-run hospitals to deal with any untoward situation, Memon added.

He said the police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies had been taking part in the operation against the terrorists. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui in a statement condemned the terroristic attack and said that the incident was a cowardly act that was committed to sabotage the peace of Karachi.

He said matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) had been taking place in Karachi in which foreign players were also playing and such terrorist incidents during this time aimed at damaging Pakistan’s reputation around the world. He asked the Sindh chief minister and provincial government to take concrete steps to ensure arrests of the people involved in the attack.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Qari Usman condemned the terrorist attack at the KPO saying that the attack was done under a deep conspiracy to destroy the peace of Karachi. The elements involved in terrorism should be arrested and punished publicly, he demanded.

He said the attack on the KPO also raised a question mark on the performance of law enforcement agencies. It seemed that terrorists were getting more powerful than the state and its forces, he remarked as he called for the Sindh police to take the strictest action against the terrorists.

The JUI-F leader said those who targeted the security forces were the enemies of the state. Usman demanded that a grand operation should be conducted against the terrorists on an emergency basis with a coordinated strategy. The black sheep hidden in the police should also be exposed so that law and order could be maintained in the city, he added.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Ali Haider Zaidi, Khurrum Sher Zaman, Raja Azhar, Haleem Adil Sheikh and others also condemned the terrorist attack in Karachi. In separate statements, the PTI leaders said the terrorists wanted to disturb the peace of the city.

The leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Sheikh, also condemned the terrorist attack stating that the terrorists wanted to weaken Pakistan through cowardly attacks but they would not succeed in their plans.

He prayed for earlier recovery of the injured policemen. Sindh Awami National Party President Shahi Syed condemned the terrorist attack on the KPO and said the terrorists could not weaken the morale of the people and law enforcement agencies through such actions.

He called for for implementation of the National Action Plan. The facilitators of terrorism should be punished to set an example for others, he said. He paid tribute to the police personnel who bravely thwarted the terroristic attack.

Jamia Binoria Al-Alamia Administrator Mufti Noman Naeem also condemned the terrorist attack and said that terrorists were the enemies of the nation and they should be dealt with iron fist.

He said the nation should unite to defeat the conspiracies of anti-state elements. He expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives of police personnel in the incident. He prayed for speedy recovery of the injured and patience for the families of the martyrs.