Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussein said that the sacrifices rendered by Bashir Ahmad Bilour Shaheed, ex-Senior Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and other martyrs for the peace of land will not go waste and will ultimately yield fruitful results adding that the followers of Bacha Khan will fight the menace of terrorism till the end even at the cost of their lives but will never retreat.
He expressed these views while addressing on the occasion of Khatm-e-Quran for the departed soul of Bashir Ahmad Bilour Shaheed jointly held by Awami National Party District Peshawar and Pakhtun Students Federation at Bacha Khan Markaz, Peshawar, the other day.
The ceremony was attended by senior leadership of ANP including Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel, Afrasiyab Khattak, Haroon Bilour, Arbab Tahir, Provincial Ministers, MPAs and Party workers in large number. The Information Minister said that it is need of the hour that all political parties, state organs and the whole nation should come together to develop a consensus and make final decision to curb terrorism otherwise this menace would engulf the whole country and no one could be safe.
He said that no one should indulge oneself in the misunderstanding and credibility that the war against terrorism is the issue related to ANP and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa only. If the terrorism is not curbed at this stage then it would spread in the whole country and no individual, no political party and no place would be safe. All political parties of the country should be above their politics and think in broader perspective of national interest as it is the issue of the very survival of the country, he maintained.
Regarding talks with Taliban for durable peace in the whole region, Mian Iftikhar Hussein said that ANP always welcomed talks and tried to resolve issue through peaceful means but the talks must be meaningful and positive and the main players in the region, ie, Pakistan, Afghanistan and United States should be on board and be very much sincere adding if negotiations were not successful then the three main players should be united to take decisive action against the terrorists descending the dual policy of good and bad Taliban.
The ceremony was also addressed by Senator Haji Adeel, Afrasiyab Khattak, Haroon Bilour and other speakers who eulogised the sacrifices of Bashir Ahmad Bilour and other martyrs who laid down their lives for the sake of the country. On this occasion, prayers were offered for the eternal peace of the martyrs.