PESHAWAR:
Shia leaders in Peshawar have demanded the formation of a judicial commission to look into the growing number of target killings and to bring the culprits to task.
Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, Shia leader Allama Abid Shakari said law-enforcement agencies had failed to bring the murderers of dozens of people from his community to justice.
He said despite tight security in Peshawar, criminals were able to target innocent civilians and easily escape from law-enforcement personnel.
“Our silence should not be taken as a sign of weakness or that we are unable to defend ourselves. However, we are peaceful citizens and believe in tolerance,” Allama Shakari said.
Shakari stressed it was the duty of the government and law-enforcement agencies to ensure the safety and security of the masses. “We are not afraid of threats, target killings and protests by a certain group affiliated with a banned organisation.”
He asked the government and law-enforcement agencies to conduct a clean-up operation against banned organisations in the provincial capital and other parts of the country to ensure security for the people.
The police, he said, should take notice of threatening letters, messages and calls to Shias and take action to end the uncertainty among them.
He urged that cases of targeted killings be registered under the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO) and the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA). He also asked the courts and intelligence agencies to play a proactive role in ensuring that justice prevails.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2014.
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Our army and intelligence are only serious about apprehending settler killers in Balochistan.