‘Blasts in Mustang, Bannu enemies’ conspiracies’

The Punjab government shares the grief of the victim’s families and expresses solidarity with them, says CM

LAHORE: “The blasts in Mustang and Bannu are conspiracies of the enemies of Pakistan,” said Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Dr Hasan Askari in a statement on Saturday.

The government will not allow them to fulfil their goal of spreading unrest and instability in the country through such cowardly attacks. The people will foil such nefarious ploys by showing unity, he added. The blasts at Mustang and Bannu should be condemned; they are a conspiracy against the country. Those spilling the blood of innocents are the enemies of humanity, he expressed.



The Punjab government shares the grief of the victim’s families and expresses solidarity with them. The nation will always remember the sacrifices made by our martyrs, the statement read.  Terrorists are the enemies of humanity. Such acts of cowardice cannot shake the nation’s resolve, he expressed.

HRCP condemns blasts

“Election gatherings must not become killing fields,” said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), while expressing concern over the emerging pattern of violence in the run up to the general elections on July 25, in a statement issued on Saturday.

“The numbing scale of yesterday’s attack in Mastung —now the third time an election gathering or political candidate has been targeted in three days — means asking some hard questions, not only of the civilian government, but also its security apparatus. Despite the excessive presence of security forces in Balochistan, the capacity of militants to strike on this scale appears to be intact,” the statement read.



“It is critical that the upcoming elections are held on time, but the commission reiterates the need for — and the right of — political candidates to be provided adequate security on the campaign trail. HRCP expresses its deepest condolences with the families of all those killed in Mastung and Bannu,” the statement added.

“The commission is also perturbed at the extent to which the attack in Mastung has been overshadowed by parallel political developments in Punjab,” the statement went on to say.

(with additional reporting from APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2018.