The women senators on Tuesday demanded the government to take the terrorists to task with iron hands for unleashing unmatched barbarism in the Balochistan province.
 
Speaking on the Balochistan carnage during the 342nd session of the Senate, Parliamentary Leader of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), Senator Sherry Rehman said there was no distinction between terrorists as good or bad as any hostile elements picking up weapons against the state were terrorists and country enemy.
 
She said the PPPP leadership faced terrorism and violence due to its leadership’s strong stance against insurgency in the country. “Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the only leader who announced to hoist Pakistani flag in Swat during the terrorists’ insurgency and was martyred by the terrorists,” she added.
 
 
Senator Rehman underlined that some 80,000 to 90,000 civilians and numerous soldiers of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) personnel had embraced martyrdom in the war on terror.
 
 
Pakistan, she said was alone in fighting a war against terror, and our society was penetrated through Afghanistan by insurgents and consequently, many terror groups emerged with different names at that time.
 
“Pakistan Armed Forces did the impossible counter-terrorism operations despite having the least knowledge of asymmetric warfare and learned through its experiences.
 
The then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and Gillani and President Asif Ali Zardari took the government seriously on the matter of terrorism and took the opposition and political leadership into confidence. We paid a heavy price in that regard as PPP faced many martyrdoms and Gillani’s son was abducted by terrorists,” she added.
 
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Senator, Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur said there was no second thought about taking terrorists to terms with iron hands.
 
The State and the armed forces of the country, the police force, and LEAs who rendered great sacrifices could easily tackle and were fully capable of controlling and stemming terrorism from the country, he added.
 
“This is the fifth insurgency in Balochistan and the first had occurred in 1970 and it was 26th August, the death anniversary of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. BLA an international insurgent organization had launched attacks on 10 districts for 20 hours and kept the security forces engaged,” she said.
 
She said the Balochistan massacre was deplorable and the demonstration led by tribal women and girls in Gwadar was also regrettable. She queried that despite these crises why the quarters concerned were not paying heed to the pressing issues of the deprived areas of the country.
 
 The Senate session was adjourned to meet again on Friday (August 30th) at 10:30 am.