ISLAMABAD - The Upper House of the Parliament Wednesday passed a unanimous resolution condemning the terrorism attack on a bus of Ismaili community in Karachi terming it a grave national tragedy.
The resolution that was moved by PPP Senator Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja after suspending the question hour, says that the house unanimously condemns in the strongest terms the incident of brutal killings of innocent people travelling in a passenger bus in Karachi.
The lawmakers across the aisle said that it was a horrible incident after December 16 incident of terrorism attack on a school in Peshawar while the opposition side termed the attack a complete failure of the provincial as well as federal governments and of the security agencies of the country. The legislators also lauded the services of the Islamili community in the social development of the country. They said that Ismaili community was loving and peaceful.
Senators also showed apprehensions that the people were thinking about some peaceful atmosphere after the launch of operation Zarb-e-Azb in tribal belt of the country as well as the measures taken after December 16 incident but it looked no end to terrorism.
MQM came down hard on the federal as well as provincial governments for their failure to protect the lives of citizens. It also got the chance to defuse criticism on it for its alleged involvement in target killings in Karachi.
MQM said that this was being portrayed that terrorism in Karachi would end after Rangers’ raid at its headquarters, Nine Zero, on March 11 this year. The party claimed the growing presence of Taliban in Karachi. MQM also staged a token walkout from the house over the incident after it said that political bashing on law and order was wrong in provincial headquarters of Sindh.
As the house started its proceedings, Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi apparently lost his temper and said that the killers behind the incident were religion extremists and terrorists and those sects of the society who were in minority were being victimized.
“Let us bury the politics, why law and order is being politicised and why masses are being befooled,” he said adding that the federal and the provincial governments had completely failed in the provision of security to masses.
He said that Taliban, criminals and mafias were flourishing in the metropolitan city and banned organizations were openly operating there.
He also staged a protest walkout followed by his party colleagues’ showing no confidence on security agencies that failed to take any action to prevent the incident.
Saeed Ghani commended the role of Ismaili community for their role in the social development of the country but avoided criticism on his party’s government in Sindh. He called for support of the security agencies.
Karim Khawaja termed the incident a backfire of the dictatorial regimes’ policies. “The incident can be a backfire of Karachi operation, the launch of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or PM’ recent visit to Afghanistan,” he added.
Moulana Tanveerul Haq of MQM said that the government should stop propaganda that peace had been attained in Karachi.
Senator Taj Haider reminded that Ismaili community was not victim of this terrorism for the first time as during the Taliban government in Afghanistan, around 0.5 million people of this community were forced to migrate from there after their victimization.
Moulana Attaur Rehman of JUI-F showed a soft corner for Taliban and said that it was unfair to allege Taliban without any investigation. “We should not draw conclusion without probe,” he said.
Nehal Hashmi demanded the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission from 1985 onward on such incidents to ascertain the causes.
Samina Abid of PTI asked that arrangements should be made to bring the dead bodies of these people from Karachi to Chitral and Gilgit Baltistant as mostly belonged to these areas.
Mir Kabir criticized the police who reached the crime scene after two hours of the incident.
Chairman Senate Nayyer Hussain Bokhari informed the house that Senate had received 208 public complaints after the launch of this complaint system and necessary action was being taken on admissible petitions.
The chair referred a matter of merger of KASB bank with Bank Islami after the lawmakers termed the response of State Minister Tam Kamal unsatisfactory. The minister in his answer on an adjournment motion had said that KASB bank was merged with Islami Bank through a due process.
He said that State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had to take action after the back did not meet the conditions of required minimum amount to keep in its reserves to run a bank. Senator Saif pointed out that the merger was the violation of laws in connection with monopolization, as a group did not own more than one bank.