Balochistan violence: Senate condemns twin terror incidents

Calls for intelligence briefing after Hazara men, Fazl attacked in Quetta

ISLAMABAD:

Back-to-back incidents of terrorism in Balochistan on Thursday prompted the upper house of parliament to jointly condemn the attacks and demand a detailed briefing from intelligence agencies over the law and order situation of the country.

The Senate expressed grief over two incidents in Balochistan, where militants gunned down eight members of the ethnic Hazara community and later targeted Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazal (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and called for intelligence agencies to be asked for briefing.



“Heads of intelligence agencies should apprise this house whether the recent spate of terror acts was a blowback of the military operation in North Waziristan. And if so, what was the policy to deal with the situation,” said leader of the house in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq.

Haq said there was no harm even if the briefing was “in-camera” but the representatives of the people should be taken into confidence.

Earlier, senators from all political parties condemned the attack on Maulana Fazlur Rehman, saying terrorists have started targeting political parties.

Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said all those political parties who oppose the Taliban and talk about the constitution and democratic institutions are being targeted. “I demand the government to facilitate provincial government and improve the intelligence sharing, otherwise it would become difficult to win this war,” he added.

Farhatullah Babar said that there was an operation going on in North Waziristan but it seems that the terrorists of Southern Punjab are being patronised, pointing out that “no institution gave statement after Asmatullah Muawiya said his faction would shift focus to Afghanistan [from Pakistan].”

Zahid Khan of the Awami National Party (ANP) said that Maulana Fazl was targeted because of his recent statements and demanded the government to question agencies about their coordination with the provinces. Khan also referred to the Muawiya’s statement and said “there was a need to revisit policies over Afghanistan.” “The intelligence outfits know about the whereabouts of proscribed organisations that have been operating after changing their names,” said MQM’s Col (retd)Tahir Mashhadi.

Rights violations in Kashmir

Special Adviser to Prime Minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz told the Senate that Pakistan would be launching a campaign to highlight Indian violations of human rights in Kashmir. “We will expose Indian atrocities and in this regard are going to start a campaign,” he added.

Aziz was responding to Senator Farhatullah Babar who spoke about Indian violations of the Line of Control (LoC) and working boundary, saying India had upped the anti-Pakistan rhetoric around the world. Babar also asked the government to look inwardly and check whether it was patronising some terror elements.

Addressing the senate, Aziz said that there was no precedent of such large number of incidents at working boundary and “it is a well thought-out plan of India to divide Kashmir in three parts.” The relations between the two neighbours have worsened since the Hindu supremacist BJP came to power, he added.

“I have told the [UN] secretary general that bilateral dialogues are not moving forward,” the advisor said, referring to his recent letter to the UN secretary general. Appreciating the army’s response to Indian aggression, he said that the government had highlighted the issue on diplomatic front as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2014.