LAHORE – Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has condemned the killing of Harazas in Quetta.
In a statement issued on Sunday, he said both the Balochistan government and the federal government were not bothered by the killing of Harazas, which he described as a planned genocide of the Shias and the Hazara community.
Pointing out that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi had claimed the responsibility for these killings, he regretted that the government so far had not apprehended anyone in this connection. “This shows failure of intelligence, both civil and military, and complete helplessness bordering on indifference of the Balochistan government and criminal neglect of the federal government,” he added.
Imran Khan further said sectarian terrorism had emerged as a major threat to the nation, adding that it could not be ignored. There was also a suspicion, he viewed, that elements working at the behest of those outside might deliberately be trying to create widespread sectarian conflict.
“This matter requires extreme vigilance of the state. The entire effort of the state agencies needs to be directed towards combatting this menace, particularly finding those involved in Shia / Hazara killings,” the PTI chairman stressed.
Imran recalled his recent visit to the Hazara community’s Imambargah where stories of horrendous atrocities were shared with him. He said the PTI was not ready to tolerate this genocide and would play its role in bringing about sectarian harmony.
Holding the PPP and the PML-N equally responsible for prevailing problems, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that poor governance, inefficient economic planning, corruption and failure to maintain law and order have made the life of the masses miserable.
“People will have to vote the PTI into power for solution to their problems and for saving the country,” he said while addressing a press conference on Sunday. Qureshi said the rulers had incurred huge loss to the exchequer by indulging in useless projects like Sasti Roti, Danish Schools and the Bus Rapid Transport System.
“The country is infested by inflation, unemployment, corruption and poverty, as a result of which half of the population has gone down below the poverty line,” said Quureshi, adding that Balochs do not trust the government agencies such as police and the Frontier Constabulary, and this will have an adverse impact on the federation.
Speaking on the issue of new provinces, he said the people of Southern Punjab did not trust the two parties. “The PPP is playing this card to hide its poor performance and divert the attention of the masses from real issues. The parliamentary commission formed to address the issue is a joke; people in the commission are incompetent and do not know anything about the dynamics, demographics and ground realities of the south,” he viewed.
As far as PML-N is concerned, it supported new provinces but was unwilling to discuss the issue, Qureshi held. “The PML-N has disappointed the masses by its poor governance,” he added.
Qureshi declared that the PTI would announce health and education policies in this month. “The time has come to reject the status quo parties and the people should vote for the PTI,” he said.