Solidarity: United we mourn
National Assembly denounces ‘attack on all Pakistanis’; interior minister at ‘loss for words’ to describe terrorists.
Death toll from the Peshawar’s All Saints Church has reached 83. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
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.
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.