Swat terror attack on school van: Rabbani asks if state waiting for APS repeat

ISLAMABAD: Condemning the recent terrorist attack on a school van in Swat, former chairman Senate Senator Mian Raza Rabbani Tuesday asked if the state was waiting for a repeat of APS tragedy. “The people of Swat and the adjoining areas have been demonstrating on the streets against the armed groups on the mountain tops.

The state has responded by registering cases under the Terrorist Act,” he said. Rabbani called for replacing the Parliamentary Committee on National Security with a new parliamentary committee, amending the rules and appointing a senator as the committee chairman.

He said the state negotiated a ceasefire with the TTP without taking the Parliament into confidence. “Today through a letter of the interior ministry published in the media, Parliament comes to know that talks with the TTP have broken down and there is the threat of increased terrorist activity in the country,” he said.

He said a few days back, a senior minister was held hostage by terrorists in the Northern Areas. He was of the view that the newly constituted committee should be kept abreast of the situation on a daily basis.

He said the committee should consult the civil and military stakeholders and make recommendations to deal with the situation. “They said the recommendations should be placed before a joint sitting of Parliament,” he said. He said the need of the hour was to nip the bug in the bud with the support of the people.