PESHAWAR, April 17: Awami National Party leader Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour urged religious parties on Wednesday to issue an edict declaring that killers of Muslims were non-believers.

He also said that his party would henceforth lodge cases against the President, the Supreme Court Chief Justice, the Army Chief and the Chief Election Commissioner if any act of terror was carried out against ANP leaders and its workers.

Mr Bilour, who survived a suicide bombing in Yakatoot area of Peshawar on Tuesday which left 15 people dead, said at a press conference at his residence that he was not worried about his own life but was saddened by deaths of innocent people in the attack claimed by Taliban.

“Now cases will be lodged against President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim if ANP leaders and workers are attacked again. We will also take all political parties to task for their silence on this crucial issue,” Mr Bilour said.

He said it was now the duty of all political and religious parties to break their silence on acts of terrorism and devise a united policy against terrorists.

“We are Muslims and Pukhtuns and no force can stop us from accomplishing our mission for peace,” he said.

He was accompanied by Haroon Ahmed Bilour, son of late former senior minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour, who lost his life along with 18 other people in a bomb blast also claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in December last year.

Mr Bilour said the ANP and its leaders and workers would continue to bear the brunt of acts of terror for the sake of peace and development of the country.

“A coordinated terror campaign is under way against the ANP, targeting its election candidates and workers to make way for the parties which do not oppose the Taliban, but we are followers of Bacha Khan and Wali Khan whose lives are shining examples of selfless struggle for the rights of the people,” he said.

“My entire life is replete with sacrifices. I am not afraid of such acts of terror,” the senior ANP leader said.

He said terrorists appear to believe that by carrying out such brutal acts, they would keep ANP leaders and workers out of the political process and succeed in sabotaging elections.

“Everyone is aware of our struggle for promotion of democracy. There’s no question that we will reverse on our stand against terrorism. Militancy cannot keep us away from people and our efforts for the rule of law and peace will continue,” Mr Bilour said.

He said that his party’s struggle for restoring peace would continue and it would not be deterred by use of force.