ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday said the violence in Lahore and other parts of the country were unacceptable.
Bilawal expressed grief over the loss of lives, including those of our policemen and civilians, as the “direct result” of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf-led government’s alleged inability to handle the situation peacefully.
Responding to the situation in the country, the PPP Chairman said that the shedding of human blood and incitement to violence was never the answer to any situation because history informs us that violence only begets more violence.
“The real fight is about fighting against the root of the festering problem, not in just responding to the symptoms. Why has the government not bothered to implement the National Action Plan, or even discuss arising challenges in parliament,” he added.
Why has the government not bothered to implement the National Action Plan
Bilawal said that the PPP had been in the frontlines of resisting any discourse or action that promoted violence or extremism since its inception. For this the party and its leadership, including Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has paid a heavy price. It is distressing therefore to witness how the “selected “ were allowed to attack government properties, occupy government offices in Islamabad and hold the government hostage since 2013. Today, the same modus operandi is being replicated to further destroy the system, he added.
The PPP Chairman said that he is very clear that the state is responsible for protecting people, and a serial failure of the current regime to fulfil this responsibility has dragged the country into unprecedented chaos and anarchy.
He said that in any situation, the law must be the only factor to prevail and to that effect all issues should be addressed through constitutional mechanisms.