Death toll from the Peshawar’s All Saints Church has reached 83. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS
The lawmakers were visibly mournful. The house was palpably sombre when it assembled on Monday. The lawmakers, wearing black armbands, stood in silence for a minute to show solidarity with the families of Sunday’s vicious suicide bombing at Peshawar’s All Saints Church.
The minister for science and technology, Zahid Hamid, moved a resolution to condemn the attack on the country’s Christian minority which he called an ‘attack on all Pakistanis’.
“The house demands that the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governments take all necessary measures to safeguard the rights of non-Muslims as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah and the Constitution of Pakistan,” reads the resolution.
The house also sought security for all places of worship, particularly those belonging to non-Muslims, and punishment for the perpetrators of Sunday’s suicide attacks at the Anglican church. The National Assembly was specially convened for this purpose.
Soon after the ritual Quran Khawani ended, Awami National Party’s Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, who also belongs to Peshawar, stood up to request the house observe one-minute silence to honour the victims. “I couldn’t hold back my tears when I visited the church yesterday,” he said.
Later, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan shared details of the church attack with the lawmakers. A visibly emotional minister found himself at a loss for words.
“I don’t know what religion these attackers believe in! Such acts are un-Islamic and not permitted in any religion, society or law,” he said. “A ritual condemnation for this incident is just not enough.” On Sunday, the government had announced a three-day state mourning for the victims of the bombings.
International news agency Reuters reported on Sunday that Jundullah, a sectarian extremist group, had claimed credit for the gruesome attack. Chaudhry Nisar, however, said without naming the group that his ministry had doubts about the claim.“Until now, we haven’t intercepted any telephone conversation regarding this incident, but I assure the nation we will track them [perpetrators] down,” he added.
Nisar commended the restraint shown by the Christian community following the attack. “Bishops, priests, fathers and community elders have provided an exemplary lesson for the entire nation by showing patience,” he added.
Later, parliamentary leaders also denounced the bombing in the strongest terms.
Security analysts say such attacks could complicate efforts by the Nawaz Sharif to engage homegrown militants in meaningful peace negotiations at a time when roadside bombs, targeted killings and suicide attacks continue unabated.
Leader of the Opposition Khursheed Shah advised the government “not to put itself on a weak footing as it would encourage the terrorists”.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf said that the all parties resolution did not mean a ‘complete surrender’ to militants. “The APC reached a consensus to opt for dialogue. It wasn’t one party’s decision, we were all onboard,” he added.
PkMAP MP Mehmood Khan Achakzai underlined the need to restructure the society. “We neither follow the teachings of the Holy Quran or Sunnah nor the teachings of our Quaid,” he said. “We have ignored everything.”
However, he believed the option of dialogue should not be shelved. “Every war ends with dialogue,” he said.
The interior minister had requested the MPs “not to politicise such incidents”.
All opposition parties, including the PPP and the PTI, heeded the request – but former premier Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said he was surprised by the ‘sudden’ bonhomie between the rivals. “I will contest every single lawmaker [who speaks on this issue] on what has happened in our province [Balochistan] and who is scoring points,” Jamali said.
Jamali also contested Achakzai’s proposal of proroguing the assembly session to send out a message of unity to the world. “How many times have National Assembly sessions been prorogued when people were killed in the past, particularly in Balochistan,” he questioned.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 24th, 2013.
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Where is our Prime Minister! Is there any journalist who would dare to speak out against the strongest family party! His presence was symbolically important in the country for solidarity and unity. His speech in the UN Security Council was not that important, atleast not over the dead bodies of minorities!
The only way to bring peace is through dialogue. I am sure not all militants want to have dialogue with government so those elements must be eradicated. We must also acknowledge that if we go for war it is not going to end in months as it will take years along with all these bombings. There are several groups of militants who have responded well to the talks offer given by APC. So we should go and talk to them and for the rest we need to use force. You can not generalize all militants as one. I pray for the dead and their families. Really this is a tragic event and all we pray is to not have anymore.
I don't understand why all these statements from government start and end with how there is no space for this kind of bloodshed in Islam. What happened to humanity? What we use to call 'Insaniyat' in the old days. Isn't Insaniyat above religion? Do we have to talk about Islam all the time? My heart bleeds more when I hear justifications and excuses from our politicians instead of saying what needs to be said. This is what we need to hear:
Terrorist are MURDERERS. It's INHUMAN to kill and it's nothing more than a cold blooded MASS MURDER. Those innocent women and kids that died are SHAHEED.
I live in a majority Christian country, my neighbors, my coworkers, friends of my children are Christian. There is not a single moment when I feel being discriminated against, I expect law to treat me fairly and expect exactly the same opportunities as my Christian neighbor and I am not even a citizen of this country ......
Can we say the same about our non Muslim citizens of Pakistan?
There is a reason USA is a blessed country, I know many Muslims belonging to different denominations who practice Islam per their wishes more freely here than they ever could in Pakistan, Why?
If Peshawar Govt doesn't have the required facilities to take care of injured ones then FOR GOD SAKE Please ask for help from other provinces so that remaining injured lives can be saved.
This is joke, right. You cannot even say or write shaheed for those who were butchered yesterday. You keep them way from your righteous lives when they are alive and you keep this distinction even after they are dead.
Resolutions and condemnations are all public relations tactics to hide the fact that the Government of Pakistan has been incapable of controlling the religious fanatics that control the land and are taking over because they know that they are untouchable thanks to the weak Government officials whose citizens hide in frozen in fear do nothing to demand security.