PESHAWAR - Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan on Sunday visited madrassa at Dir colony for condolence over bomb blast in which eight students were killed and over 100 injured earlier this week.

Talking to media after condolence with teachers and administrative staff of the seminary, he said that one couldn’t think of targeting innocent students of madrassa when they were attending classes and busy in seeking religious knowledge.

Ali Muhammad Khan said that Prime Minister Imran had directed him to visit madrassa on behalf of him and Federal government for condolence and expressing sympathy and solidarity with bereaved families and teaching staff of the seminary. He said that entire country was grieved over loss of precious lives in this terrorist attack.

He said that students were an asset of the country weather they were school students or seminary students. “There is no difference between children martyred at madrassa and school,” he said. 

He said that government would provide financial assistance to the martyrs’ families and injured.

He further said that backbone of terrorist network had been broken by security forces and police and Prime Minister had given clear directives that terrorism would not be allowed to resurface again.

He expressed that country was fighting terrorism of types; either it was in shape of bomb blast or verbal attacks.

Ali Muhammad Khan said such cowardly acts of terrorism could not shaken our resolve to eliminate terrorism.

“Terrorists and enemies of country cannot intimidate us through cowardly act,” he said.

Talking about blasphemous cartoons and Islamophobia in France, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan had categorically stated that any insult to Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) would not be tolerated in the name of freedom of expression.

He said Prime Minister had written letters to heads of states of Islamic countries to adopt unified stance against Islamophobia and deliberately hurting sentiments of Muslims.

He said that evidences proved India’s involvement in recent incidents of terrorism in Blochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkwa with a purpose to destabilise the country.

He said criticism of ruling party and government was part of democracy but there was strong reaction when one deliberately attacked state and its institutions and pursuing narrative of enemy country.