ISLAMABAD: Senators from the treasury and the opposition traded charges in the House, holding each other responsible for the rising tide of terrorism in the country.

Senator Waqar Mehdi, the General Secretary of Sindh PPP, in his maiden speech in the House lambasted former prime minister Imran Khan, saying that terrorists were supported and encouraged by the PTI government.

Referring to the much used expressions of ‘good Taliban’ and ‘bad Taliban’, he said that a terrorist could not be good in any form, because a terrorist is a terrorist. He recalled that the TTP had named Mr Khan member of its negotiating team for peace talks with the government in 2014.

Senator Mehdi said that after the recent terrorist incident in Peshawar, the government had decided to summon a multi-party conference, but Mr Khan refused to participate in it. This clearly shows that he preferred his political interests over issues linked with national security.

The PPP senator said that the National Action Plan (NAP) chalked out to fight terrorism and extremism was not implemented in its true spirit by the previous government. Senator Waqar Mehdi condemned the terrorist attack on the Karachi Police Office and paid tribute to the martyred police and Rangers personnel and praised their bravery.

PTI chairman criticised for supporting Taliban

Opposition Leader in the Senate, Dr Shahzad Waseem, criticised the government for its irresponsible attitude amid pressing issues and serious crises due to terrorism resurgence and economic meltdown.

He also referred to the recent audio tape of PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid and said that even the prime minister’s secure line was not secure. He regretted the status of Article 4 and related laws was not more than a piece of paper. “Under what law all this is happening? There is no check and balance,” he retorted.

The Leader of Opposition said that the government circus was going on, as he came hard on the ministers, and said they were at liberty to issue statements as the defence minister had recently said that the country had gone bankrupt.

PPP Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan criticised the PTI chairman for supporting Taliban. In her hard-hitting speech, which was interrupted by at least two female PTI lawmakers, she questioned as to who resettled terrorists under an organised plan?

She said the last government of PPP and PML-N had been fighting against insurgents and chided the PTI by asking that ‘who used to say these terrorists are our brothers and they should be brought in the mainstream” after holding talks with them, an allusion to Imran Khan.

She said the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had nominated the former prime minister as their representative to talk with the government. The PPP lawmaker criticised the opposition leader for his speech, saying that it was Mr Khan who on September 16, 2021, in an interview to foreign media had asked the world to give some time to Taliban on human rights to prove their credentials.

She regretted that 70,000 Pakistanis and law enforcement personnel had sacrificed their lives when Mr Khan made these remarks. She said the PTI had never condemned any form of terrorism. She said that Taliban came back to Pakistan when Mr Khan was prime minister and he should tell the nation who resettled these terrorists.

Speaking on a point of public importance, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad lamented that terrorists were free to strike across the country from Peshawar Police Lines to Karachi Police and even Red Zones were not safe now.

“The poor nation spends Rs3000 billion on the military, intelligence agencies, the police and the judiciary and yet, the menace of terrorism is not going away. Over 2.1 million cases are pending in courts while judges are found involved in political manoeuvring,” he noted.

He emphasised that a meeting of the Senate committee of the whole should be summoned and the military leadership, ISI and Military Intelligence DGs and other departments concerned be invited to find a way out.

He also questioned how alcohol was being smuggled into Pakistan in the presence of the Coast Guards, FC and Customs and other agencies.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2023