The Pakistan Civil Society Forum has condemned Wednesday's terror attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, with over 600 people gathering at the university to remember the dead and also the country's north-west politician, Bacha Khan. In a statement on Wednesday, Mohammad Tahseen, the forum's convenor, said, "It is the second deadly attack on an education institution after the one on the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, where terrorists targeted innocent students.
It seems we have not moved much after the army school in curtailing terrorists. We are dismayed on the slow progress on the National Action Plan and it too does show the failure of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and security agencies. "This is the time for the government and the establishment to wake up and stop distinguishing between good and bad monsters, eliminate all militants without mercy, take stern action against madrasas [religious seminaries] and political parties who are patronising them, formulate a counter-narrative, fight hate speeches and implement the National Action Plan in all the four provinces of the country."
The forum also demanded that the government and its security establishment tell the public about the facts and figures on the military operation codenamed Zarb-e-Azb, an inquiry report into the school attack and actions against those involved. "The government ought to launch an independent inquiry into the university attack and make its finding public," the forum demanded.