PESHAWAR, Nov 2: NWFP president of People’s Party Parliamentarians Rahimdad Khan has said that the Musharraf government appeared to be bent upon repeating the 1971 debacle of East Pakistan, by killing innocent people, mostly students, in the Bajaur Agency.

“The targeted madressah was neither located in (a rugged) mountainous area, nor was Bajaur on foreign soil. It is located only a few kilometres from the agency’s headquarters, Khaar. If there were any terrorist in the destroyed institution, it would have been better if the government had captured them instead of killing them,” he said.

He was addressing a press conference to mark the joining of the PPP by former union council nazim along with his friends and relatives from the PPP-Sherpao here on Thursday.

Expressing his party’s strong opposition to to the bombing, he said: “We staged protest demonstrations in various parts of the province to condemn the loss of innocent lives.”

Referring to Benazir Bhutto’s return, the PPP leader said that no power on the earth could stop her from coming back to the country and taking part in the general elections. He said that Ms Benazir was not afraid of cases instituted against her.

Rejecting rumours about a deal with the government or a compromise with the ruling PML, he said that if they wanted to make a compromise with the League, they could have done it four years ago. He said that there were no differences between the PPP and the PML-N and both the parties were united in the struggle against the President Pervez Musharraf’s rule.

Expressing concern over the killing of PPI’s bureau chief Mohammad Ismail and attack on another journalist Rahmanullah, he said that the government had failed to provide security to people.

APP adds: Provincial General Secretary, Pakistan Peoples Party and MPA Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao has expressed his heart felt grief and sorrow over the murder of Pakistan Press International (PPI)’s Resident Editor, Malik Muhammad Ismail and demanded for the early arrest of culprits involved in this heinous act.

In a condolence message here Thursday, he said the services rendered by Malik Muhammad Ismail in the field of journalism and media would always be remembered.

He prayed Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with patience.