ISLAMABAD: Condemning the attack on the Crime Investigation Department (CID) building in Karachi, members of the Senate on Friday held the government responsible for growing terrorism in the country.
Addressing the session, Pakistan people’s Party Senator Raza Rabbani said the government had not implemented the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which had resulted in the unabated continuation of terrorist activities in the country.
Criticising the government, Rabbani said, “The Parliamentary Committee on National Security gave 63 recommendations like that of an independent foreign policy and reconstruction in terror-hit areas. But they were not implemented and incidents of terrorism will continue to increase in the country if the recommendations are not implemented soon”.
He was speaking on a point of order raised by Senator Safdar Abbasi. Earlier, Abbasi said all incidents of terrorism were interlinked and could not be taken into account in isolation. “The Karachi incident is a failure of intelligence agencies and unless all intelligence agencies work in close coordination at the district, divisional, provincial and national levels, the incidents of terrorism cannot be stopped.
Rabbani also said that he would call a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security after Eidul Azha. He said that it was mind boggling that a 1,000 kilogramme explosives-laden truck reached the red zone where all important buildings like the Chief Minister’s House, five-star hotels and the Director General Rangers’ office were located. Muttahida Qaumi Movement Senator Tahir Mushahidi said that the federal and provincial interior ministries had failed to control the law and order situation of the country.
He said that when intelligence agencies would remain busy interfering in political issues, and police would continue to be heavily deployed to provide security to the ruling elite, incidents like the Karachi attack would happen frequently.
Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Zahid Khan alleged that terrorist activities continued unabated in the country because certain political parties supported them and had been asking the government to hold dialogue with them. “Their dialogue advocacy helps encourage terrorists who have taken tribal people hostage. What we are facing now is a result of supporting the Taliban,” Zahid added.
Senator Gul Muhammad Laat, meanwhile, said that all interrogation centres, where terrorists were detained, should be shifted out of residential areas.
