Upper house proceedings: Senators slam PTI’s role in curbing terror in K-P

Condemn attacks on Amir Muqam, Mian Mushtaq in the province.

ISLAMABAD:

Senators in the upper house of parliament criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, saying that the absence of ownership of the fight against terror by the party has increased militancy in the province. 

The members expressed these views while criticising a fresh wave of attacks on politicians in K-P including the attack on prime minister’s special adviser Amir Muqam and ANP leader Mian Mushtaq on Sunday.

“Militancy in the province is at an all-time high because of PTI’s soft corner towards the TTP, which neither openly condemns the attacks nor makes serious efforts at ending terrorism,” ANP leader Haji Mohammad Adeel said in the Senate.

He added that tough militancy prevailed during the last tenure of ANP but the party had openly accepted its faults and faced them boldly.

In the same vein, Farhatullah Babar lambasted the PTI chief Imran Khan for ‘sabotaging the consensus in the All Parties Conference’.

“Future historians of Pakistani politics will write that this is the man responsible for shattering a consensus among the political parties against militants in the APC, where it was agreed to use force against them,” said Babar.



Criticising the PTI chief, JUI-F Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri stated that Imran was just a cricket captain who was inexperienced in politics and did not know how to handle militancy in his province. “Imran Khan should accept his defeat in K-P and ask his party chief minister to tender resignation to save the province from further deterioration,” he added said.

PPP’s Raza Rabbani pointed out that Imran had promised to bring the law and order situation across the country back to normal. However, he failed miserably since the province under his party’s governance still faces the law and order issues.

The PPP leader noted that no PTI leader ever visits the funeral of their own party members killed by militants. “It seems that PTI has never taken up the challenge and it has given a free hand to those who challenge the writ of the government”, he maintained.

He also criticised the federal government for failing to develop an effective anti-terror policy even after seven months of taking office. He demanded that the government should at least take the Parliament into confidence in an in-camera briefing about the development so far.

MQM’s Sardar Ahmed said that both the federal and K-P governments were undecided over the issue of resuming talks with the militants while the militants had rejected the idea of any negotiations outright. “This indecisive way of governance further boosts non-state actors to promote their agenda,” he mentioned, adding that the government should have an interim strategy to handle the situation before it launches formal talks with the TTP.

Senator Mushahidullah Khan stated, “unlike the Sindh government, the K-P government is reluctant to work with the federal government to cope with lawlessness”.

“K-P is also part of Pakistan and not an independent Island”, he noted, adding that the government had always extended its support to handle the security situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2014.