SHIKARPUR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Dr Mohammad Ibrahim Jatoi has urged police to first arrest the mastermind, facilitators and all accomplices involved in the suicide bomb attack on the imambargah in Shikarpur and not make haste in bringing to trial the two suspects nabbed so far.

Mr Jatoi said at a meet the press at the Shikarpur Press Club on Thursday that he had serious reservations over reports the case was being closed.

Take a look: At least 60 killed in blast at Shikarpur imambargah

He had learnt from reliable sources that police had decided to bring to trial the two arrested suspects before catching the mastermind, accomplices, handlers and facilitators involved in the crime, he said.

Sixty-four people were killed and over 73 were seriously injured when terrorists hit the imambargah during Friday prayers on Jan 30.

He praised the progress so far on the investigation conducted by Shikarpur police and joint investigation team comprising officials of police, Rangers and other agencies but said police should take action in the light of the arrested suspects’ disclosures about presence of a terrorist network in the district about which he had also shared information with the investigation team. He also appreciated the ongoing targeted operations in Karachi and elsewhere in the province and said the law enforcers should take action across the board without any discrimination like they were doing in Wana in order to restore peace to the province and free it from the clutches of terrorism and lawlessness.

Dr Jatoi said that he had firm belief in the supremacy of law and democratic process in the country which ensured provision of constitutional, legal, democratic and basic rights to people who had been feeling a sense of insecurity and frustration for long because of adverse law and order conditions caused by gross inefficiency and bad governance.

Replying to a question about his participation in upcoming local government (LG) election, Dr Jatoi said that he would take part in LG elections which were being held after a period of seven years. The polls were being held on the orders of the Supreme Court while delimitation process would be carried out by the Election Commission of Pakistan, he said.

He said that corruption culture had flourished without check in local bodies institutions in the province and Shikarpur in particular since it was rulers’ motto to mop up as much public money as possible which they would use to purchase votes in LG elections.

Dr Jatoi expressed serious concern over the government’s indifference to the task of improvement of socio-economic condition of farmers’ community and development of agriculture sector which was the backbone of the country.

He said that growers had been waiting for adequate rate of sugar cane and wheat since long but the Sindh government always failed to enforce its writ with regard to implementation of official support price and kowtow to sugar mill owners and wheat exporters.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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