The persistent absence of a flamboyant interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Tuesday earned him the wrath of opposition senators who staged a walkout from Senate, leaving the chair with no option but to adjourn the house due to a lack of quorum.
The senators belonging to both opposition and treasury equally expressed serious reservations over negotiations between government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Raza Rabbani of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) demanded that the interior minister should resign as after coming into power he had promised to quit if he failed to restore the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.
Rabbani said the nation was waiting for his resignation for his failure to make Islamabad a safe city. After the incidents, he said terrorists safely ran away and no one stopped them despite the presence of several police checkposts. The interior secretary and IG Islamabad gave contradictory statements in Supreme Court of Pakistan, which shows there is a lack of co-ordination among the law enforcement agencies.
"Don't weaken the writ of the state to this extent that tomorrow it will be difficult for the government to ensure it...we want either the prime minister or the interior minister to brief the Senate over the F-8 incident," he added. The senators contended that the law enforcement agencies had been given other tasks, making them completely helpless in protecting the life and property of the people. They regretted that the agencies had been tasked to keep a vigilant eye on the activities of the lawmakers instead of chasing terrorists.
The criticism was so severe that the MPs kept grilling the interior minister with tough questions and said: "Where is the much talked-about Rapid Response Force of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan when terrorists hijacked the people at F-8". Muhammad Hamza, a senator of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) downplayed his own government talks initiative with the insurgents, saying the country was engulfed in an insurgency and pushing for talks is certainly betrayed the weakness of the government.
He suggested that all the intelligence agencies along with armed forces collectively took action and eradicate the menace of terrorism, adding the government should give up the talk idea with militants and crush them. Senator Babar Ghauri of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stated that talks with militants at this critical juncture when the militants were launching attacks everywhere, was not the right course.
Hasil Bezejo said 'a terrorist is a terrorist' and they were not like a political party to hold peace talks with. According to rules, "the state cannot hold peace talks with those who have slaughtered 13 FC personnel." Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash said the government was the main hurdle towards a firm action against Taliban, adding the whole nation and the army wanted to crush militants.
Rafiq Rajwana of PML-N cautioned the media not to portray terrorists and banned militant outfits as heroes. Mohsin Leghari said that Monday's terrorist attack was a clear indication of the government failure and it had lost its writ. The political appointments to run different state-run institutions were the major reason which had made important national institutions redundant, he regretted.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) termed the attack an eye-opener for the whole nation. He demanded the interior must turn up to the house by ending his self-imposed boycott of Senate. The opposition leader in Senate Aitizaz Ahsan regretted that the government was strengthening terrorists by announcing cease-fire instead of crushing them with full might. "Three vehicles were used in F-8 incident which exposed the whole security plan of the government...the people as well the other stakeholders should also be involved in framing a counter-terrorism policy," he added.