NA proceedings: Opposition dissuades Nisar over Karachi raid

Lawmakers condemn attack on Lahore churches


Azam Khan March 17, 2015
Lawmakers condemn attack on Lahore churches. PHOTO: ONLINE

ISLAMABAD:


Opposition parties on Monday prevailed upon Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan not to press the issue of the Rangers’ raid on Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) headquarters in Karachi as the lawmakers took up the issue of the terrorist attack on churches in Lahore. 


In the morning – during the proceedings of a parliamentary panel – Nisar had announced he would reveal details pertaining to the Rangers’ March 11 operation at Nine-Zero and the media gallery in the National Assembly was expecting an MQM protest during the interior minister’s speech.

However, Pakistan Peoples Party’s MNA Syed Naveed Qamar, who was representing the main opposition party in the absence of Leader of Opposition Khursheed Shah, requested the interior minister not to press the issue of the Rangers’ raid on MQM’s headquarters.

“It was also decided in the business advisory committee meeting that the interior minister will not deliver his speech on the Nine-Zero raid during the house proceedings,” Qamar said.

Earlier, when Nisar entered the assembly hall holding a bunch of papers in his hand, MQM lawmakers Farooq Sattar and Abdul Rasheed Godil went over to him and had a conversation with him multiple times. Later Nisar left the house without delivering his speech.

Church attacks condemned

Later, the lawmakers condemned the terrorist attack on churches in Lahore and demanded that the government bring the culprits to task. The house also observed one minute’s silence to honour the victims of the Lahore atrocity.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) MNA Aasia Nasir said the government could not ensure action against the perpetrators of previous attacks on minorities and therefore there was anger among the community.

Parliamentary Secretary for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Khalil George said this was not only an attack on Christians but also an attack on all Pakistanis.

“We all are facing the menace of terrorism and our places of worship – mosques, temples and churches – are on the hit-list [of terrorists],” he said.

Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Mahmood Khan Achakzai held wrong ‘policies of the past’ responsible for the wave of violence.  Referring to unrest in Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi and Lahore, he asked the government to convene a joint session of parliament inviting all stakeholders to craft a plan to come out of this crisis.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2015.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ