PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq on Thursday said the country’s political leadership had given a clear mandate to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure the effective elimination of terrorism from the country. He was speaking at a condolence reference organised here at Mahabat Khan Masjid.

The JI chief told participants that December 16 when the Peshawar school carnage was committed would be remembered a black day in the country’s history.

“We can’t find a single example of such a carnage is history except the killings by Mongols,” he said, adding that terrorists had ruthlessly massacred innocent schoolchildren in Peshawar. Siraj said both the federal and provincial governments were responsible for the safety and security of the people.

He said participation of all parliamentary leaders in a conference chaired by the prime minister over Peshawar killings was a good omen for the country. “The entire nation is united against terrorism, while political parties have given a clear mandate to the government to crack down on terrorists,” he said. He said the Saudi government had enforced Islamic laws in the kingdom, so nobody could think about breaking the law there. Siraj said Islam did not allow the killing of women and children. He demanded strict action against masterminds behind the school violence.

Moving scenes were seen at the event with many participants crying over the carnage.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2014