Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday suggested the government to introduce second phase of the National Action Plan (NAP) plan to counter the evolving threat of terrorism.
"We endorsed the NAP, fought terrorism in all four provinces, and declared that we had broken the terrorists' back, the PPP chairman said while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly.
Earlier, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday suspended the routine business of the House and initiated a debate on the recent terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express. The motion to suspend the agenda was moved by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, which was approved by the House.
The National Assembly also offered Fateha for the souls of the four security personnel martyred and others during the attack on the Jaffar Express.
Bilalwal said, "Today, we are passing through an even more dangerous phase than before. Unlike in the past, we lack the unity and political consensus that made us successful."
"The enemies of Pakistan and its oppressed people are taking advantage of our lack of unity," he added
Referring to recent attacks, Bilawal said, "These terrorists have no ideology. Their only objective is to destabilize Pakistan and target innocent citizens."
The PPP chairman called for national unity and political consensus to effectively combat terrorism in the country.
He said Pakistan paid a heavy price in its fight against terrorism, with sacrifices made by every segment of society, political leadership, ordinary citizens, military officers, and police personnel.
"There is no section of society that has not made sacrifices in this struggle," he stated. He reminded the house of the unity demonstrated by the nation in the wake of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) Peshawar tragedy. "Despite our political differences, whether it was the politics of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or other parties, we set aside our agendas to prioritize the national interest," he said.
Strongly condemning recent terrorist attacks, particularly in Balochistan, he asserted that the perpetrators sought to destabilize Pakistan and derail its development.
"These terrorists, who claim to fight for rights and independence, are actually obstructing the country's development and playing into the hands of international forces bent on destruction," he said.
Bilawal questioned the motives behind attacks on innocent civilians, citing the recent tragedy involving passengers on the Jaffar Express.
Calling on all political parties to set aside their differences, Bilawal proposed a single-point agenda to defeat terrorism. He emphasized the need for collaboration among all stakeholders, offering his party's cooperation.
"If there are shortcomings in our provincial governments or leadership, tell us, we are ready to join hands and fight this menace together," he added.
"We did it before when Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister, and we can do it again under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif."
Bilawal called for the revisiting of the National Action Plan (NAP). "There is no reason why Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif cannot reinitiate a comprehensive National Action Plan, as we did in the past," he said.
"Mere meetings are not enough. We need decisive action, unity, and consensus-just as we demonstrated when the PPP was in power."
As the session started, the government and the opposition traded barbs over the train tragedy in Balochistan, with both sides of the aisle blaming each other for the terrorist attack that resulted in over two dozen deaths.
However, in a rare show of unity, the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning the hijacking of Jaffer Express.
Taking the floor, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fake narrative on the Jaffar Express terrorist attack, accusing the party's social media platforms of misrepresenting the tragic incident and undermining national unity. The minister expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent lives in the attack, emphasizing that such tragedies cause immense grief, which is further aggravated by the spread of misinformation.
"The entire nation witnessed how PTI's social media interpreted the incident," Khawaja Asif said. "Instead of acknowledging the bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces, they promoted a false narrative, claiming that the terrorists themselves released the hostages." He alleged that this misleading account was circulated by verified PTI-affiliated accounts, particularly those operated by supporters living abroad. Without naming individuals, Khawaja Asif criticized those who, according to him, fled the country but continued to malign national institutions from overseas.
Asif also highlighted the irony of PTI leaders, many of whom, he claimed, were products of past martial law regimes.
"Some of those pointing fingers today were the beneficiaries of three martial laws in our history," he added. "Their forefathers abrogated the Constitution and deprived the nation of its democratic rights."
Asif admitted that his party had supported a military regime in the past. "I have apologized for it multiple times in this very House, and I do so again today. But at least we have the decency to acknowledge our past mistakes," he said.
He stressed the need for political leaders to collectively recognize and learn from historical mistakes for the nation to move forward.
PTI MNA Asad Qaiser condemned the train tragedy, adding that the defence minister levelled allegations on PTI instead of taking the house in confidence.
In a tit-for-tat reply to Asif, the former speaker said he is obsessed with PTI as he pronounced PTI during his speech more than Balochistan. Had there been a little shame in him, he would have resigned from his post, said Qaiser. Condemning the train hijacking incident, the PTI leader asked how the country will run if those with public mandate are confined in jails and those with fake mandate sit in the house. The biggest issue of the country is security and it is all happening due to incompetency of Asif, said the PTI leader.
MQM MNA Dr Farooq Sattar said there is a need to revisit National Action Plan. He urged the Prime Minister to convene APC on Jaffar Express tragedy to determine national agenda. He asked the political parties to evolve a strategy with consensus to deal with the menace of terrorism.
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