Former railway minister and Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour on Wednesday flatly said that the president, army chief, the chief justice and chief election commissioner would be responsible for any attack made on him.
Around 18 ANP workers including some police officials were killed and several others, including Bilour, were injured in a suicide attack on the party’s election campaign in Peshawar on Tuesday evening.
Bilour threatened that an FIR would be lodged against the president of pakistan, Supreme Court chief justice, chief of army staff, chief election commissioner and the leaders of all those political parties who did not condemn terrorists if any member of Bilour’s family or party was targeted henceforth.
‘I believe in a God who saves lives’
Less than 24 hours after he escaped a suicide blast on his convoy, the senior ANP leader said that despite severe threats to his life, he would not step back from contesting elections.
“The ANP leaders and workers are being targeted but we will not cower from the attacks and run from the election battlefield,” Bilour said. “I believe in a God who saves lives.”
Bilour called yesterday’s attack a cowardly act of terrorism and added that if CJSC, COAS, Chairman ECP and the president of Pakistan sat together and tried, they would arrive at a solution to deal with the threat of terrorism.
“We are fighting a war for the sovereignty and integrity of the country; we do not have personal enmity with anyone,” he said, posing the question, “why ANP activists and leaders are particularly being targeted by the terrorists?”
The former minister further urged the public to come forward and openly denounce terrorist acts in which innocent people have lost their lives.
“Ulema should come forward and need to collectively issue a Fatwa against terrorism. Whereas other political parties should also come forward and defend ANP because we are neither non-Muslims nor non-believers; we believe on humanity and have the same faith of Maulana Hussain Ahmed Madani and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad,” he said.
“I do not care for my life,” Bilour valiantly declared, while adding that the terrorists attempts to deter ANP political workers from their path were futile and that the party would continue denouncing terrorists and their activities.
Bilour, however, finds himself in a peculiar quandry after the Taliban apologised to him for the injuries sustained in the attack, claiming they were unaware the senior leader would be at the gathering.
“We apologise to Ghulam Bilour because we announced an amnesty for him,” Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan had told reporters by telephone from an undisclosed location hours after the blast.
“Our target was Haroon Bilour.”