ISLAMABAD - The absence of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan from the Senate on Monday prompted the PPP-led combined opposition to vent its anger over the fierce terrorist attack in District Courts Complex of the capital city by staging a walkout.
The business on the agenda was suspended by the Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari as expression of condemnation of the gory incident and solidarity with bereaved families.
During the proceedings the Upper House strongly condemned the terrorist action and offered Fateha for the departed souls of the victims of the brutal incident that left at least 11 people including a senior judge and lawyers dead and over two dozens injured critically.
Reacting to the episode Senator Hamadullah from Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) leashed at the government and its efforts to get the National Security Policy approved from the parliament as a bundle of lies. Accusing the government of portioning terrorism and terror outfits across the country, the senator from Balochistan whose party JUI-F is a coalition partner of the federal government observed that religious seminaries are being targeted through National Security Policy.
“Was Osma Bin Laden recovered from any seminary or was Dr Shakeel Afridi a seminary graduate?” he asked, adding all the 26 intelligence agencies of the country failed in preempting the terrorist attack. “Terrorists were spraying bullets indiscriminately for 45-50 minutes and judges and lawyers were running abrupt across streets but law enforcement agencies’ personnel escaped rather than countering them,” the JUI-F senator portrayed the scenes of the incident.
He was followed by Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who dubbed the day as the darkest day in the history of federal capital and the tall claims by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan have been badly trashed. He posed a harsh satire towards government saying, “Now the dialogue should be launched with this new group as well which conducted this attack because Taliban have denied their involvement in the attack.”
Mushahid predicted that worst ever situation is approaching for the country if the current policies continue and situation remains persistent.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Col (Retd) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi flaying the tragic incident expressed his great concerns over cowardly attitude of security personals present at crime scene at the time of strike.
From a common man to uniformed generals, Mashadi continued, no one is secured and still the government desires dialogue with anti-state and illegitimate armed terrorists.
The MQM leader demanded of the government to give go ahead signal to armed forces to launch a complete operation against terrorists, as they have not struck the capital but the honour of Pakistani people that could not be forgiven.
Pakistan Peoples Party (Parliamentarians) Senator Kazim Khan urged that if Taliban deny responsibility of their strike inside capital, they could deny any truce accords in future.
Sardar Ali pointed out that two hours after the incident, no government official appeared live to take people on board. The Senator termed it tragic and shameful that 10-12 fully armed persons reached district courts, kept of spraying bullets for 45 minutes, conducting two suicide blasts and escaped without any life loss of arrest.
Senator Sehar Kamran questioned, “Where is the security across the country?” adding that the life loss in terrorist strikes across country was doubled then total life loss resulted in country’s wars.
At this occasion Awami National Party senator Haji Adeel Ahmed interrupted and hit hard the government’s irresponsible approach pointing out that no high-level government official or interior minister was present in the House.
He staged protest walkout from the house that was joined by other parties of joint opposition in Senate including Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid), Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and others. The House was adjourned till today (Tuesday).