Fighting terror: Secured future generations through military courts, says Zardari

Says his party accepted 21st Amendment with a heavy heart

LAHORE:

Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that by agreeing to set up military courts the nation has saved the future generations from terrorists.

“It is the responsibility of the government to allay reservations of political parties regarding various clauses of the 21st Amendment,” the former president said talking to the district heads of PPP in Punjab at Bilawal House.

These are not the times to show charged emotions, Zardari said, counselling to put sagacity above sentiments.

He said Bilawal is as much energetic as any other PPP worker, “if we would have climbed atop the container with Imran Niazi, things would have been different, but it would have derailed democracy and the system.”

He said PPP has very deep roots and would make a comeback in Punjab soon.



Zardari said that the party was against collision among institutions. “We have supported military courts to defeat terrorism and for the sanctity of the state,” he said, assuring the party members that political activists would not be tried in the proposed special courts.

He said PPP accepted the 21st Amendment to the Constitution with great reluctance, but the decision was necessary to uproot terrorism from the country. “Government and opposition will have to work together against terrorists,” the ex-president known for his reconciliatory policies said.

Earlier, in a meeting with PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and central leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Zardari said the current situation demands contemplation from national political leadership instead of point scoring.

Shujat Hussain and Pervez Elahi held detailed discussions with Zardari on political scenario, terrorism and anti-terror initiatives, law and order situation and the 21st Amendment.

Zardari said that PPP voted in favour of the amendment sincerely with the sole intent of ridding the country of the menace of terrorism.

“Despite our political differences, we stood by the side of the government to fight terror,” he said.

He said the government in turn should remove the reservations of all political parties, including those of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, regarding the special courts.

Pervez Elahi said that unity among political leaders was necessary to defeat the designs of terrorists. Monis Elahi and Salik Hussain were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2015.