KARACHI: Condemning the attack on Bacha Khan University, the Sindh Assembly on Friday termed it an attack on the youth and coming generation of Pakistan and sought countrywide implementation of the National Action Plan with all its components to ensure security and protection of every citizen.

The demand was made through a joint resolution passed by the assembly after the speeches of over a dozen lawmakers from across the floor. The resolution stated the assembly condemned the attack on Bacha Khan University in which over 20 students and teachers lost their lives. The house also expressed deep grief over the deaths and condoled with the bereaved families.

After the adoption of the resolution, Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker Mohammad Hussain wanted to table a resolution against a ban on the printing and telecasting of the statements of MQM chief Altaf Hussain, but Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani adjourned the session at 3.10pm while assuring the party that their resolution would be taken up when the house reassembled on Monday.

Attack on Bacha Khan varsity condemned

Earlier, senior minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, who read out the resolution, followed by leader of the opposition Khwaja Izharul Hasan, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Shafi Jamote of the PML-Nawaz, Mohammad Hussain of the MQM and Samar Ali Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf demanded even-handed implementation of the NAP across the country.

Mr Khuhro traced the history of lawlessness to 1977 when the country he said had been pushed into a proxy war by the then ruler while pursuing an expansionist policy. He said the neighbouring countries, which followed a non-alligned policy, saved themselves from the situation.

Khwaja Izharul Hasan said the menace was sowed in the 1970s when in order to bring stability in other countries anarchy in the name of Jihad was promoted.

He said the interior minister after the attack on the Army Public School last year had announced that National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) would be made functional but he did not keep his promise with the result that another educational institution came under attack. The leader of the opposition said all parties had given legal, constitutional and moral mandate to the government by supporting Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO) and witness protection act, yet the people faced terrorism, because there were still some elements in the power corridors who thought in terms of good and bad Taliban.

He said the PPO instead of the entire country was being implemented in Fata and Karachi only.

Mehtab Akbar Rashdi said hearts were bleeding for the educational institutions that had been turned into killing fields. She said the Bacha Khan tragedy was neither the first nor the last tragedy, as the results of the unwise decisions taken some 40 years back might have to be faced for some more years.

Dr Seema Zia termed the Bacha Khan tragedy a failure of intelligence agencies.

Imdad Pitafi said PTI chief Imran Khan instead of passing judgements on others ought to pay attention to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where terrorists attacked the Army Public School and then Bacha Khan University.

Heer Soho said the people of Sindh and Blochistan were justified in asking if they were not Pakistanis, as indiscriminate action had to be taken against terrorism across the country rather than only two provinces.

Syed Faisal Sabzwari said it was mentioned in the NAP that banned parties would not be allowed to operate yet the banned parties by changing their names contested the polls in Sindh while the police had been deployed to protect their leaders. He said the interior minister also failed to take any action against a so-called religious leader sitting in Islamabad who openly challenged the writ of the state.

Khairunnisa Mughal said despite a ban on armed groups, there was no ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa in Punjab. She asked why there was no ban on Hafiz Saeed under the NAP and blamed the interior minister for not implementing the NAP across the country.

Rauf Sidiqui, Nusrat Sultana, Mohammad Hussain, Sorath Thebo, Khalid Iftikhar and Sabir Qaimkhani also spoke.

After the session, MQM lawmakers staged a protest demonstration on the stairs of the assembly building against the ban on the broadcast and printing of the speeches of their chief Altaf Hussain in the media. They were holding placard with slogans “Namanzoor, Pabandi namanzoor” and “Lift media ban on Altaf Hussain”.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2016