HYDERABAD: Expressing its full support for the ongoing National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorists in the country, the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST) has urged the army chief to also reopen the Nishtar Park bombing case. It said that almost a decade had passed but the culprits of the carnage could not be punished.

A huge bomb blast on April 11, 2006 had left many top PST and other religious parties’ leaders, besides scores of other participants in the main Eid-i-Miladun Nabi (peace be upon him) congregation at Nishtar Park dead in Karachi.

They said that the programme would start with a flag-hoisting ceremony at the PST Hyderabad division secretariat on Wednesday to pay respect to those who lost their lives. The events included a Shuhada-i-Pakistan rally on April 3, flag-hoisting ceremonies in various localities of the division from April 4 to 8, a Masha’al (torch) rally on April 9, Yaum-i-Siddique-i-Akbar on April 10, a multi-party conference on April 12 and the Shuhada-i-Pakistan Convention on April 17. Local PST activists, including Mohammed Imran Soharwardi, Mohammed Abid Qadri and Syed Sajid Ali Kazmi, renewed their appeal at a press conference held here on Tuesday to announce a series of events to be organised by the party from April 1 to 17. They said the events were part of their programme to remember all military personnel and civilians killed by terrorists in the country.

They said the multi-party conference would also discuss the next local government elections and the convention would be addressed by PST chief Mohammed Sarwat Aijaz Qadri.

The activists also called for a targeted operation in Hyderabad division and other parts of Sindh to wipe out terrorism.

They also called for purging the ruling PML-N of elements supporting terrorist elements.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2015

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