LAHORE: The suicide blast in Quetta on Monday was condemned by all segments of society in Lahore.

Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana telephoned his counterpart in Balochistan and Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri to express grief over the incident.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the spilling of blood of innocent people in a hospital showed that these barbarians had nothing to do with Islam or Pakistan. He announced a one-day mourning in Punjab .

Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Mahmoodur Rasheed submitted a resolution in the assembly condemning suicide attack.

Mr Rasheed told reporters the government should take practical measures to root out terrorism from the country.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders Abdul Aleem Khan, Ejaz Chaudhry, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Chaudhry Sarwar and Waleed Iqbal also condemned the attack.

AWP: The Awami Workers’ Party called the blast a reminder of how the people of Balochistan have been thrown to the wolves by the government and the establishment. It said banned outfits like Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat continued to operate with impunity in Quetta and the rest of the province, which was also home to the infamous Taliban’s Quetta Shura.

“Dozens of deaths today are a consequence of our failed policies of support for such extremist groups that have ended up murdering tens of thousands of Pakistanis in cold blood,” it said, adding the statement of Zehri alleging RAW was behind the incident is a denial of our own catastrophic policy and security failures.

The AWP reiterated its stance that there can be no lasting peace in the country until support for all fundamentalist militant groups was not ended.

PAT: Pakistan Awami Tehreek Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri and other senior leaders called it the worst and callous act of terrorism.

They said that hospitals were not targeted even during wars but in Quetta, besides hospital, lawyers and their leaders were specially targeted.

They said they hoped that hidden hands and enemy country behind this tragedy would certainly be exposed.

HRCP: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned two attacks targeting lawyers and slammed the authorities’ inability to protect citizens through effective counter-terrorism measures.

In a statement, it said: “This coordinated mowing down of lawyers is absolutely unacceptable and outrageous. Official condemnation of this latest massacre in Quetta or calling it the work of a foreign intelligence agency is not enough. The state has the responsibility to safeguard the lives of all citizens from all actors who have an appetite for bloodletting.

“The people are justified in asking where were our security agencies when these actors, foreign or Pakistani, were plotting or causing mayhem in Quetta. The government must go beyond calling Monday’s terrible events a security lapse and explain why it has failed to prevent such a terrible attack. How does the government plan to ensure that its counter-terrorism plan, whatever it is, actually prevents terrorism? It is particularly important to focus on security of citizens in Balochistan, where signs of some let up in violence over recent months had fueled hopes, apparently prematurely, for a return to normalcy.”

It said that the failure to provide adequate security at the hospital in the circumstances was highly regrettable. The HRCP urged the government to ensure that the public resources are used for securing the lives of all citizens and give adequate compensation to the families of the victims and the injured so that at least their financial needs are met at this difficult time.

PML-Q: PML-Q leaders called it the worst and cowardly act of terrorism.

Chaudhry Shujaat, Pervaiz Elahi and Moonis said it was a major tragedy and the whole nation was in grief. They said words were not enough to condemn this heinous act of terrorism.

PPP: PPP leaders Yousuf Raza Gilani, Manzoor Wattoo, Shaukat Basra and Faisal Mir shared the grief of the families who lost their loved ones in the blast. They said terrorists would not succeed in their nefarious designs and eventually they would be eliminated.

TEACHERS: The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association also condemned the blast demanding the government arrest those behind this heinous crime.

It said the army was fighting against terrorists and it was hoped that it would soon eliminate them.

NGOs: Rwadari Tehreek held a protest in front of the Lahore Press Club to condemn the attack and express solidarity with the families of all those who lost their lives. People from different religions and walks of life participated in it.

Journalists also protested against the tragedy and announced that they would wear black armbands to observe Tuesday (today) as a black day.

PFUJ President Rana Azeem, Lahore Press Club President Shahbaz Mian, MPA Sadia Sohail, Amna Ulafat of PML-Q, Naseer Ahmed of PPP Human Rights Wing also spoke.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2016