'I will continue to fight for a greater cause'

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain re-iterated his strong stance against terrorism, saying he would "fight for this greater cause" irrespective of his son's murder.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mian Iftikhar said he waited to make his statements against the terrorists today, so that people could see that it was not a viewpoint presented in haste or in a moment of passion.

Had I made my comments on the same day, people would have taken it as a revenge of my son's death. But this is not the case. I am fighting for a much greater cause. There are scores of people who have laid their lives in the war against terror. My son is also one of them. We were here when a suicide bomber blew himself outside. Women have gathered to condole the death of my son.

Additionally, the KP information minister said that his son was martyred in the War on Terror, receiving 8 bullets in his body.

He was killed due to my role in the war against terror. My cousin tried to save him, but they shot four bullets in his head and four in his chest. They claimed that they had come to kill him. I don't know why they do such acts. Neither religion nor social norms permit us to attack women and innocent people. My son never exploited my position. He was killed because he was my son. The people who lost their lives in the suicide attack also belong to our family. Four policemen also lost their lives.

Mian Iftikhar also lauded the role played by women police officers who had prevented a suicide bomber from entering the women's' quarters of the family home.