Punjab Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the suicide bombing in Peshawar and expressing sorrow over the loss of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa senior minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour and others. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah tabled the resolution, which was jointly drafted by all the parliamentary parties.
The resolution termed the martyrdom of Bashir Bilour as a national loss, adding that he was a courageous person who sacrificed his life for his cause and ideology and refused to bow down before terrorist. "The House also strongly condemns all forms of terrorism in other parts of the country and it firmly believes that the entire nation should unite to fight against such cowardly acts. The House expresses solidarity with the families of late Bashir Bilour and other victims of the blast and prays for the deceased's souls," it added.
Meanwhile, while praising Bashir Bilour, the Punjab Law Minister said he was a seasoned politician and a democrat; in his entire political life he raised voice against dictatorship. "His death was a loss for Pakistan," he added. While condemning the terrorist attack, he believed that the policies of big powers, pursued in the 1970s and 80s, created the existing mess in the country, and he appealed to the super power to review its policy in the region. "In the name of 'invasion of communism', they prepared mujahedeen to fight Russia and later after achieving the goal they abandoned them rather them engaging them in some other activities. Now, the same mujahedeen are creating mess in Pakistan," he added.
Rana was of a firm view that continuation of democracy was the only way forward, which in time will resolve the problem of terrorism in the country. He said the general elections must be held on time and the establishment should refrain from creating hurdles in its way. He accused the establishment of derailing democracy in the past on the pretext of introducing 'true democracy' in the country, which only created mess in the country. Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, a PML-Q parliamentary leader, also praised the services of late Bashir Ahmed Bilour and added that his death was indeed a national tragedy. He said the nation should not be deterred by the cowardly acts.
Other parliamentarians from both sides of the benches also spoke, including Rana Afzal and Ejaz Ahmed from PML-N, Seemal Kamran and Amna Ulfat from PML-Q, and Nazim Shah, Sajida Mir from PPP. They all strongly condemned the unfortunate incident and held the army dictators responsible for the existing situation. They observed that a certain mind set was attacking Pakistan, which only believes in implementing its agenda through brute force. "These anti-democratic elements pose a big challenge for us, and we should stand firm against it," they added.
They all showed determination to fight against terrorism and urged the Federal government to review its policy in this connection. They were of the view that it was imperative to identify the enemies involved in terrorist activities and stern action should be taken against them. "Pakistan is facing a grave danger, and hence all the political parties need to examine their views about terrorism and focus on the problem at hand. The uprooting of terrorism should be our prime national challenge," they added. Later, Speaker Rana Iqbal adjourned the House till Thursday.