LAHORE: Developed nations unite against even one person’s murder, while the Peshawar brutality has cost over 150 precious human lives; it is time to unite to face the menace of terrorism, says Governor Chaudhry Sarwar.

Addressing at a seminar on peace after the Peshawar tragedy, the governor said the government had to act to stop this barbarism and brutalities in society. Without justice, no society could prosper and progress. It was time to move forward on all fronts: legal, legislative and political to control it.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq stressed the government should confiscate all illegal arms in the country in order to eradicate terrorism. He also called upon the government to fulfill its responsibility of protecting life and property of citizens. He also demanded an end to the present system based on class and exploitation besides introduction of a uniform education system to help promote national unity and for the benefit of the poor. He said national unity and harmony was more important than a nuclear device.

The JI chief said the “US had spread terrorism all over the world to sell its arms and ammunition”.

“Americans have thrust a war on 16 Muslim states while Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been direct victims of US terrorism and millions of their people killed,” he added.

Haq said terrorists had no religion, adding that all religions preached peace while in Islam the unjust killing of a single human being was tantamount to the murder of humanity.

He claimed “it was the agenda of a secular lobby and agents of colonialism” to blame religious organisations for terrorism. He added former JI chief Qazi Husain Ahmed and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Fazlur Rahman had also faced terrorist attacks.

National unity, harmony more important than nuclear device: Siraj

PPP Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo urged the media to desist from giving an impression of revenge from executions of terrorists because they were being carried out in compliance with the punishment awarded by the courts and after completing due process of law.

He pointed out that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the first person who raised his voice against terrorists by calling them neither human beings nor Muslims. This must be sorted out with full force of the state, he added.

Wattoo further said there was a consensus amongst the entire political leadership of the country to fight terrorism. He appreciated the government, political leadership, judiciary, civil society and army were on the same page.

He also welcomed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan who ended his sit-in and decided to join the leadership of the country to deal with terrorism and extremism.

He called the Peshawar tragedy “9/11 of Pakistan”, and said it was incumbent on the government to take a measured and resolute response as was taken by the US government to contain the recurrence of such an incident.

Published in Dawn December 21th , 2014