Fazl demands judicial probe into Peshawar church attack

Published September 25, 2013
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Tuesday said elements which do not want an end to US drone strikes in Pakistan were behind linking the attack to Taliban. – File Photo
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Tuesday said elements which do not want an end to US drone strikes in Pakistan were behind linking the attack to Taliban. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Tuesday demanded a high level commission of Supreme Court to probe the twin suicide bombing at a Peshawar church.

He said that anti-peace elements were involved in the incident to destabilise the peace in the country.

In a statement issued by his party’s spokesman Jan Achakzai, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that Taliban have no connection with the incident as they neither take responsibility of the incident nor expressed any link with it.

The main spokesperson for the umbrella Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group told a foreign news agency that they were not responsible of the attack that killed more than 80 and injured at least 140 on Sunday.

“We haven’t done this nor do we attack innocent people,” Shahidullah Shahid, the main TTP spokesperson told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

“Whenever we carry out an attack we claim it, but the Taliban are not involved in this attack. It was an attempt to sabotage the atmosphere of the proposed peace talks.”

Maulana Fazl said elements which do not want an end to US drone strikes in Pakistan were behind linking the attack to Taliban.

“Some people were trying to sabotage the potential dialogue process with Pakistani Taliban by connecting the incident with them,” he observed.

Citing Sri Lankan cricket team attack and kidnapping of Chinese Engineers, the JUI-F chief said that no investigation were carried out to ascertain ‘elements’ behind those incidents also.

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