Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan Niazi has suggested a national political dialogue on law and order. Speaking in a PTV programme he said this was not the time for anyone to secure political points. Law and order being an issue of national interest all the stakeholders are expected to play their positive role, he said.
The minister said that the government had done its utmost to resolve the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa problem in an amicable way but unfortunately the other side failed to respond positively.
He said that the entire civil society had been pressurising the government to check the activities of Lal Masjid clerics but the government showed maximum restraint to avoid bloodshed. Even the religious parties and the organisations of seminaries had disapproved the attitude of Lal Masjid clerics, he said. Niazi said that last ditch efforts were made by the government by involving religious scholars and representatives of civil society to convince the clerics to demonstrate some flexibility in their rigid stand.
The government had to establish the writ of law and the action was taken only when all efforts failed to yield results, he said. He said the killing of innocent people through suicide attacks could not be justified on any grounds. All religious scholars and leaders of religious and political parties should openly condemn such acts, he added.