Seeking the opposition's co-operation to unearth the "real characters" behind the conspiracy, the government informed the National Assembly on Thursday that a suicide bomber was involved in the Nishtar Park tragedy.
Speaker Amir Hussain suspended the routine business to allow a debate during which the opposition members' demands ranged from the resignation of Sindh government and governor to the army going back to barracks, letting exiled leaders to return.
The government appeared to be on the back foot, when the opposition members wanted to know the fate of killers of Mufti Shamzai, Saleem Qadri, Munawwar Suharwardi, Abdullah Murad, Hangu tragedy and Bari Imam carnage. Military interventions were also blamed for the mushroom growth of terrorist and extremist elements.
Substantiating his viewpoint on the suicide bombing, Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said that firstly, the stage was handed over to the Sunni Tehrik organisers after security checks, therefore, it was impossible for any one to infiltrate and plant any explosive device there.
Secondly, he continued, a human head was recovered from close to the site of the attack, which was not claimed by anyone, and this was similar to the recovery of a head some 300 metres away from Hangu mourning procession attack site. And, thirdly, some pallets were found nearby, which a suicide bomber used for carrying out the gory act.
Sherpao informed the House that a judicial probe under a high court judge was underway, besides an investigation committee was also looking into the incident from different angles.
The minister rejected the opposition's proposal for formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate the pogrom, saying the government wanted a purely professional probe.
Winding up the daylong debate on the issue, he said that the authorities had come to the conclusion that it was a suicide bomb attack. However, later during media talk at the Parliament House, he said that possibility of a foreign hand's involvement was also being looked into.
He rejected some of the opposition members' allegation that the government was behind the tragedy or had any role in it. No minister or prominent lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League participated in the debate. The interior minister joined the proceedings after the break for Zohr prayers. All the speakers shared unanimity that Sunni Tehrik was purely a non-sectarian peace-loving organisation.
The opposition lawmakers, particularly those from the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), traded allegations with Muttahida Qaumi Movement, accusing each other of involvement in target killings and spoiling peace in Karachi.
They contended that the governments at the Centre and in Sindh had failed to protect life and property of the citizens, therefore, they had no moral or legal justification to continue.
Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) MNA Tasneem Qureshi asked President Musharraf to step down, as his uniform had given no good to the people of Pakistan. "Political leadership should be allowed to return."
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said that the leaders of Sunni Tehrik had informed him that their leaders were being killed in Karachi and the provincial government was giving protection to the perpetrators.
He contended that the attackers of President Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and corps commander were apprehended within days and given punishment, but the killers of religious or political leaders or the common man enjoyed complete immunity.
Quoting a recent statement by ex-CIA operative, Imran said that the US was pushing Musharraf to clean the "dirty work" they had done in the tribal belt.
The ex-CIA officer had cautioned the US not to push Musharraf beyond a certain limit, as it could prove counterproductive. "It clearly shows whatever Musharraf is doing under the cover of anti-terror is to please the Americans," he charged.
Imran alleged that the rulers had taken the role of judiciary and executive in their hands by executing people, unilaterally declaring them terrorists.
"What is being committed in Balochistan and in the tribal areas are extra-judicial killings and the relatives of the victims will avenge the killings of their dear ones one day. There is a need to review the anti-terror war, before it is too late," he cautioned.
The rulers, he charged, were unmoved by the abuse of Pakistanis, be it in the country, in Macedonia or Greece or any other country.
He claimed that Pakistan Embassy in Greece had tried to bribe the innocent Pakistanis to hush up, who were victim of Greek authorities' abuse.
The speaker expunged the speech of MMA's MNA from Waziristan Maulana Merajuddin, who feared the country was on the brink of disintegration.
Opposition Leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, in his brief speech, described the tragedy as of national magnitude, as it had wiped out the entire top leadership of the Sunni Tehrik.
He said that many questions continued to prick the minds of all and sundry why such killers of humanity were never arrested and given punishment, adding such trend was giving them a sort of 'encouragement' to do more.
Maulana Fazl demanded impartial investigation and proposed that intelligence agencies should review their functioning. He did not agree with a perception that without investigation, an incident is labelled as suicide attack or a sectarian act.
"By dubbing such acts as suicide attacks, the government or administration always wants to get absolved of its responsibility," he maintained.
MMA's MNAs from Sindh Asadullah Bhutto, Sahibzada Abul Khair M. Zubair and M. Hussain Mehanti squarely accused MQM of the killings of prominent personalities, and demanded its separation from the Sindh government.
Ruling PML MNA Maulana Noorul Haq Qadri held the government responsible for occurrence of such incidents, saying the reason is that culprits are never arrested or prosecuted. "It appears, as if these are not taken seriously," he charged.
He said that it was a point to ponder that the poor masses tax money was being spent on the law-enforcement agencies and their output was before the nation to judge.
Citing President Musharraf's commitment to root out terrorism and extremism, he said that no encouraging results had so far been achieved.
Senior leader of MQM Haider Abbas Rizvi said suicide attacks were aimed at destabilising Karachi and playing politics on human flesh. He indirectly accused Jamaat-i-Islami of such acts and said pointing finger towards MQM was like insulting 150 million people.
Rizvi rejected the MMA's charges and said if his party was a terrorist organisation, the rulers had not bent before their leadership for co-operation.
The MQM leader said that terror acts were done by those who gobbled up funds under the tag of Afghan Jihad and then they turned their guns to Pakistan. "The nation wants to know who brainwashed youths to kill others," he added.
Sher M. Baloch, Mehnaz Rafi, Sher Akbar, Khuda Bakhsh Nizamani, Fauzia Wahab, Abid Ali Umang, Bushra Rehman and Ali Akbar also spoke on the occasion.
The House will now meet on Friday morning and initiate debate on increase in the prices of daily use items.
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