CHAKWAL: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Liaquat Baloch here on Friday demanded an equal action against all forms of terrorism.

Addressing a ceremony organised by the Chakwal Bar Association, he said there should not be any discrimination between the perpetrators of terrorism. “Terrorism is terrorism be in any form or backed by political parties, state institutions or terrorist groups.”

He said the nation and national leadership got united for taking a decisive action against terrorists in the wake of the Peshawar incident but setting up military courts also drew serious reservations.

“Aitzaz Ahsan and Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) delivered forceful speeches during the all-parties conferences against the establishment of the military courts but later they got silent due to the pressure of Asif Zardari.

“The MQM also voted for the establishment of the military courts after it was assured that these courts would not be used against the party,” he said.

But Mr Baloch left the audience confused as neither he opposed the military courts nor openly spoke in their favour.

“The Pakistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association and Punjab Bar Council have opposed the setting up of the military courts. The government decision to set up the military courts has also been challenged in the Supreme Court,” he said.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2015

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