- Appeals the govt, media to stop glorifying terrorists
- Says doesn’t see terrorism coming to an end any time soon
Sitting Senator and former interior minister Rehman Malik said on Friday that the first thing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should do is meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai and negotiate the capture or return of Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah back into Pakistan.
“If Fazlullah is brought back to the country, terrorism in the country will be halved,” he stated, adding that if if Pakistan can hand over Afghan Taliban prisoners back to their authorities, why can’t Afghanistan do the same.
The TTP were “anti-Islam” and against the country, Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad.
“If there are 2,000 TTP members and if even 15 of them or 100 of them are anti-Pakistan, then I think they are all against Pakistan,” Malik stated.
He said that while he does not doubt the intentions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif or Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, he feels that the TTP will continue to support dialogue but not fully commit to ceasefire.
“I’m saying openly that I don’t see terrorism coming to an end in Pakistan any time soon,” Malik stated, advising the government to keep strict security measures in place during dialogue with the Taliban.
He also appealed to the government and the reporters to “stop the glorification of terrorists”.
ISLAMABAD ATTACK
The PPP senator asked what Fizza Malik – one of the victims of the sessions court attack that left 12 dead and 29 injured – had done to deserve death.
Two of the men who attacked the court fled after the incident, he stated, adding that they would certainly launch an attack elsewhere.
“I believe that Islamabad is not safe until they are caught,” Malik said, appealing to the security forces to use all their resources to bring them into custody.
