SUKKUR: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah on Saturday said that Islam was being maligned by terrorists under an ‘international conspiracy’ as was evident from the fact that the terrorists involved in all such incidents, right from the APS carnage to the Sehwan bloodbath, appeared to be Muslims though several of their targets included shrines and other places of worship.

Speaking to the media after condoling the death of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Mir Raja Khan Jakhrani’s young son at his home in Jacobabad, Mr Shah said the irony of the fact was that all victims of these attacks were innocent Muslim men, women and children. “This shows that those at loss are Muslims and the attackers and the elements behind them have nothing to do with religion,” he said.

The senior PPP leader said that this war on terrorism should be seen in an international perspective rather than as a political, religious or sectarian issue. “Pakistan cannot fight this war alone but the nation can beat the enemy by forging unity like it had demonstrated in the 1965 war,” he said.

Declaring that the PPP was behind the Pakistan Army in the war, Mr Shah recalled that the PPP was the first to support the former army chief’s request to the prime minister for the establishment of military courts.

The PPP, along with other parties, also endorsed the 20-point National Action Plan, which could not be implemented as was admitted by the prime minister and retired army chief.

“Now the army is seeking extension to military courts but all meetings held in this regard so far have remained inconclusive,” he said.

Mr Shah said that the horrible carnage unleashed by the recent terrorist attacks raised questions about why banned outfits based in Punjab had not been stopped from functioning.

MNA Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, Jacobabad Dep­u­ty Commissioner Agha Shah­nawaz Babar, SSP Sajid Hussain Khokhar, Mir Farooq Khan Jakhrani, Mir Ghulam Abbas Jakhrani and others were also present.

Published in Dawn February 19th, 2017