QUETTA: Political and military leaderships vowed on Sunday to jointly fight terrorists who are killing innocent and unarmed people, labourers, passengers and schoolchildren in Balochistan.

Speaking at a simple but impressive candlelit vigil held on the lawns of the Balochistan Assembly, the leadership said that with the help of people they would foil the conspiracies being hatched to pit members of different nationalities against each other.

“Terrorists will be eliminated by dragging them from their dens and hideouts and serious efforts are afoot to restore peace and order in Balochistan for development of the province and a bright future for our youths,” they said.

Also read: Enemy using money to misguide youth, says Gen Janjua

Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Naseer Janjua, Leader of the Opposition in the Balochistan Assembly Maulana Abdul Wasey, PML-Q’s parliamentary leader Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel, provincial ministers Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, Mohammad Khan Shahwani, Asalm Bizenjo, Rehmat Saleh Baloch and Mir Khalid Langov, Deputy Mayor of Quetta Younas Baloch, Inspector General of Police Amlish Khan, Inspector General Frontier Corps Maj Gen Sher Afgan and a large number of women and schoolchildren attended the ceremony.

The chief minister condemned the killing of innocent passengers travelling in buses on Friday night. “It is a great tragedy and political and military leaderships are with the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones in the Mastung carnage,” he said.

He said today when the country was moving towards true democracy and economic development, the enemies of Pakistan had started hatching conspiracies by carrying out terrorist attacks.

“The entire political and military leadership and people of Balochistan are untied at one platform to foil the conspiracies of our enemies and we are committed to making our province a peaceful land,” he said.

Dr Baloch said the ceremony had been organised to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in terrorist incidents at Mastung, Peshawar, Turbat and Karachi’s Safoora Goth. He promised that the people of Balochistan would see no more violence and bloodshed because their leadership had forged an alliance to eliminate terrorism once and for all.

“We need support of common people to curb terrorism, restore peace and bring prosperity to our province.”

He said the government alone could not fight terrorism and ignorance without the support of the masses.

Lt Gen Janjua said that on behalf of Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, military and all security forces he strongly condemned the Mastung carnage.

“We will not spare the terrorists who have killed innocent and poor people in Khad Kocha.” He said the coward terrorists always targeted innocent and poor people, including women and children. “People should recognise the terrorists and their patrons who were waging terrorism to destabilise our country.”

Some countries and forces were patronising the terrorists in Pakistan, he said. “Our enemies started patronising terrorists when they felt that Pakistan is being put on track of development and progress.”

Maulana Wasey, who belongs to the JUI-F, said that all political parties and military were united to fight terrorism. “We have showed the coward terrorists that we will not allow them to succeed in their nefarious designs.”

Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said that killers of bus passengers were not disgruntled Baloch but they were terrorists. “We will continue chasing terrorists everywhere and eliminate them.”

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015

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