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PESHAWAR: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Sunday that a strong security plan for churches and other places of worship would be evolved in a few days.
Talking to reporters at Lady Reading Hospital after enquiring after the health of the injured of the twin church blasts, the minister said the security cordon of places of worship of minorities was being reviewed as terrorists considered them soft targets.
The federal and provincial governments would supplement and complement each other in this regard, he added.
The interior minister condemned the blasts in which 78 people were killed and about 176 injured and said the terrorists had nothing to do with any religion, cast or creed. The blasts in the church had been conducted by the enemies of Islam and Pakistan, he added.
He said that the federal government would bear the expenses for the reconstruction of the damaged church.
Chaudhry Nisar assured full support to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in providing best medical facilities to the injured.
He said the prime minister would visit the province soon after his return from the United States and hold a meeting with the quarters concerned to review the security situation.
He said President Mamnoon Hussain called him to express solidarity with the aggrieved Christian community.
The minister appreciated the level of tolerance shown by the Christian community after the national tragedy. He praised doctors for serving people in the most unfavourable conditions.
In reply to a question, Chaudhry Nisar said the government had opted for a difficult choice of holding talks with the militants for establishment of peace, yet it was taken in the greater interest of the country. “We chose a difficult decision”, war was an easy option to adopt, he added.
The interior minister said the decision to hold talks with the militants had been taken unanimously at an all-party conference, which had representation of all political parties and the military leadership.
He said the APC drafted the resolution carefully and did not use disputed words to make it result-oriented.
Chaudhry Nisar said that disputed decisions were avoided and the option of negotiations was selected.
He said all the parties should unite to tackle this national issue because it was not restricted to the PML-N, PPP, PTI, ANP, MQM and other parties.
—Contributions by APP
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Sep 23, 2013 06:19am
A bit late in the day, don't you think, Mr Interior Minister! if all you ministers and other high ups give up your bullet poof cars, police escorts and insensitive statements, maybe people in 'places of worship' might stand a chance of survival. My sympathies go out to all those who are dying everyday in Pakistan because of a total lack of governance.
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Sep 23, 2013 06:38am
Shame on you Nisar.You must resign.a
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Sep 23, 2013 06:47am
When? Didn't the PML(N) know the gravity of the problem before getting in to the power seat through mass rigging. Why they didn't address the problem in the past 100 days. By the what positive role they have played so far?
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Sep 23, 2013 07:09am
"The interior minister **condemned the blasts** in which 78 people were killed and about 176 injured and said the **terrorists** had nothing to do with any religion, cast or creed...."
Sir, it is time you and your party colleagues and PTI lawmakers condemned the mass murderers "by name" and not beat around the bush by condemning the **blasts** or some unknown "terrorists."
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Sep 23, 2013 07:47am
Still soon? Forget soon, in civilized countries the interior minister would have resigned by now!
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Sep 23, 2013 09:47am
Dear Sir, Peace and security should be your priroity and not distributing laptops.
But who cares..
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Sep 23, 2013 10:24am
You may hate Narendra Modi but he has done a better job of protecting minorities in his state than the Pakistan Govt has, since 2002 of course.
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Sep 23, 2013 11:07am
Why these security plans come into place after so many lives are lost, why not before? Pathetic Policies !!
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Sep 23, 2013 11:04am
Nisar sb., we dont need security plan for places of worship, we need action to annihilate TTP before they take over the country. Show some guts and order the army to kill all these terrorists who kill in the name of religion. They are not a strategic asset any more, they are a mannace of society, they must be killed, there is no cure for cancer, it has to be cut out and burnt.
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Sep 23, 2013 11:23am
We the Pakistani as nation apologize to our Christian community for this heinous act of barbarism. We also apologize on behalf of our incapable government specially the ministry of interior for being late in providing the security. We know that the correct actions are to demand an explanation not an apology.
We know as a nation that a stiff apology is a second insult
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Sep 23, 2013 11:37am
Mr. Nisar
Thank God your eyes are opened finally and you are "planning" for security installations of places of worship. Such an irony that our government wakes up "after" the taliban have done their "jihaad". And you still chose to talk with them? Shame on you and all those who decided to talk instead of a clean up operation
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Sep 23, 2013 11:55am
We are so lucky to have such an efficient Interior Minster he immediately starts making anew policy after something bad happens.
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Sep 23, 2013 12:04pm
Another horrific and shameless act, another set of condemnations and the story moves on. These senseless barbarians have no clue to the teachings of Islam or any religion. It is absolutely a waste of time trying to imagine that talks can solve problems like these. The country has suffered, thousands have been killed, beheaded and maimed. The economy has been brought to a standstill and Pakistan's reputation has taken an enormous hit.
Let the Army move onto the areas, considered as safe heavens for terrorists and let the nation as one, support the army in this fight. If we cant do this, then the consequences will be grave and the future very dark. I am sure the People and the Armed Forces will prove to be, up to the task.
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Sep 23, 2013 12:20pm
Your 'soon' is 78 lives too late, Nisar sb.
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Sep 23, 2013 02:48pm
So, I just read the headline and could read no further.
The government really thinks "security arrangements" is what is needed? 15 lakh rupees for the families and an extra guard at the Church door should do the trick huh?
Let us just tiptoe around the real problem here, like we have been for the last 5 years. Let us not condemn those who need to be condemned. Lets just sit here and twiddle our thumbs until Sunni Punjabi men are attacked (after the rest of us are dead, of course) then maybe, maybe we will do more than beef up security arrangements at 'places of worship'
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Sep 23, 2013 03:41pm
Can I beg Mr Nisar Ali Khan Interior minister how long your strong security policies will take to come into action. Please stop thinking of any negotiation with these elements learn from Sri Lanka and see how they root out the menace of terrorism from their land.
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Sep 23, 2013 04:14pm
These self serving politicians always fail to see the deeper cause, don't they? Providing worship places with security isn't the solution, curbing out terrorism altogether is. Protect worship places and these terrorists will target other places.
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Sep 23, 2013 05:40pm
excuse me Mrs Nisar I feel ashamed to comment on you because I also vote for your party. But reality is very soar you have done same which was done by last govt. faces changes way same. sorry but now I hate that I also done mistake and gave one vote to those who were also sluggish and wanted to more rich.
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Sep 23, 2013 06:21pm
terrorists did not do any negotiations with the church crowd before killing them? can some one answer that question??
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Sep 23, 2013 06:23pm
so when did the Taliban offer negotiations with the people they killed at the church?
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Sep 23, 2013 06:59pm
@Nauman khan:
Nisar is looking more and more sounding more and more -- like Rehman Malik. Perhaps it is the nature of the ministry that the holder has to suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.
What a disappointment Nawaz ministry -- a bunch of nincompoops like the previous ones -- that are also sleep walking. Still want to talk to these thugs with no conditions?
Hope your "soon" comes sooner.
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Sep 23, 2013 06:59pm
"Chaudhry Nisar assured full support to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in providing best medical facilities to the injured."
How about providing the 'best security' to the uninjured?
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Sep 23, 2013 07:07pm
"He (Nisar) said President Mamnoon Hussain called him to express solidarity with the aggrieved Christian community."
Why Mr. Mamnoon called YOU to express solidarity with the Christians -- are you a Christian, Mr. Nisar -- why president Mamnoon could not call the Christian community directly to express 'solidarity' with the aggrieved Christian community?
That will be "soon" also?
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Sep 23, 2013 07:07pm
You have been in power for quite a while and you were in the know as minority leader in the Assembly. How come you did not have a plan in place yet to handle the TTP, LeJ, and other anti-Pakistan forces operating in the country? You were aware of the policies of the PPP government and if you had disagreements, I am sure you were not just disagreeing for the sake of disagreement, but you had an alternate plan to improve the lives of average Pakistani; safe and secure lives for all Pakistani, not just a selected few who ride in bullet proof cars.
Parliamentary Democracy is just not elections, it requires having option available so that if the Government falls the opposition was able to put forth a new direction and plan to save the Country, I wonder if Nawaz league was either incapable of doing it or was not interested in fixing the country
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Sep 23, 2013 07:26pm
"He said all the parties should unite to tackle this national issue because it was not restricted to the PML-N, PPP, PTI, ANP, MQM and other parties."
Is that the issue here? The inability of all parties to unite -- that led to 2 church bombings and 83 innocent lives lost?
To us abroad it looks like you are NOT fully alert to what you are saying, sir -- or fully aware to the causal relationship of deadly incidents happening under your beat.
Are you really up to the requirements of your present job, Mr. Nisar the Interior Minister -- if not -- you may like to change your portfolio and take up a less arduous position like the water works ministry.
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Sep 23, 2013 08:28pm
Another defeat confessed by Mr Nisar Ali Khan. Instead of taking action against the killers and routing them out, he is suggesting posting innocent and incompetent policemen at the gates of prayer places. The Hamdi mosques in Lahore had security guards at the gate who were killed by a single shot. How effective is this strategy Mr Nisar? Please for heavens sake, be bold, you have the entire army and security apparatus with you who should go after the killers. You have got it all wrong and you should choose another profession. The Taliban know your governments' weakness by your statement so they will continue worse attacks than this. You can not protect your people and want them to stay at home for fear of Taliban? Please invite some foreign forces to come and help if you can not. I am ashamed of you all politicians of all provinces. None have any guts nor at least the intelligence to match that of illiterate Talibans.
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Sep 23, 2013 08:39pm
Nisar( Interior Minister) your efforts proved to be futile! I firmly believe that the efforts of any government including your and your predecessors have totally flounder in terms of protecting any religious place such as Mosques, Churches and Temples!
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Sep 23, 2013 09:16pm
This goverment support Taliban. They just let go some key Taliban leaders. I don't expect anything will change in their regime.
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Sep 24, 2013 04:11am
@adnan:
ask Imran of PTI first, he is the biggest obstacle. How stupid he is, now we know
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Sep 24, 2013 08:16am
When are we going to have an INTERIOR Minister rather than having an INFERIOR Minister?
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