MNAs rue ‘intelligence failure’ at Bajaur

JUI-F lawmaker opposes talks with outlawed TTP

ISLAMABAD:

Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament vent their fury at Sunday’s suicide bombing at the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers convention in Bajaur, terming the death of dozens of people an intelligence failure.

The National Assembly members, from both sides of divide, including the federal ministers vehemently condemned the bomb attack in the Khar tehsil. The JUI-F lawmakers opposed the talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan (TTP).

At the outset of the session, chaired by Speaker Raja Pervaiz Asharf, the house offered Fateha for the martyred of the Bajaur tragedy. Maulana Muhammad Anwar led the prayers for the departed souls.

Later, speaking on the incident, Maulana Asad Mahmood of the JUI-F, raised questions about his own government and cited to the negotiations with the outlawed TTP during the tenure of the previous government.

“Tell us, who taught the suicide bombers to make suicide jackets and bombs,” Mahmood said. “How the terrorists came [in Pakistan] despite fencing of 1,600 kilometres long border [with Afghanistan],” he added.

“Let us know why attention was not paid when we were pointing out this danger,” Mahmood, who is also the federal communications minister, told the house. He said he wanted to know who were negotiating with terrorists.

Speaking next, Water Resources Minister Khursheed Shah said that the country was pushed into the Afghan war. He described the Bajaur tragedy a result of the Afghan war.

However, he also questioned “why our institutions do not see” when terrorist attacks were being planned. “This event is an intelligence failure. If we still don’t wake up, the ship called Pakistan, which we are all on board, will sink,” he said.

Dissident Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Riaz Mazari said that those who were fighting the Afghan war in the name of Jihad and Islam, with Americans dollars, “are asking who taught these terrorists to make bombs”.

Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain stressed the need for finding out breeding grounds of terrorism. Maulana Akbar Chitrali said that despite spending billions of rupees on 25 agencies, the bombing was a big question mark.

In the National Assembly session, the members of other parties also demanded of the authorities to take the Bajaur incident seriously, and called for finding out the reasons and remedial measures.

The speaker directed the government to bring those responsible for the tragedy to justice.