KARACHI, Oct 19: Leaders, activists and prominent figures belonging to political, religious and civil society organisations have strongly condemned the attack on the jubilant crowd taking part in the rally to welcome PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto on her return home from abroad on Thursday. The bomb attack left more than 130 people dead and hundreds others injured.

Terming the tragedy a conspiracy, most of them were of the view that the elements involved in the cowardly attack must be enemies of humanity and democracy who were bent upon undermining the country’s integrity and sabotaging the ongoing political process.

Yousuf Mastikhan, Senior Vice-President of the National Workers Party, said that the bombing of a procession led by such a high-profile personality proved the law-enforcement agencies’ utter failure and a total security lapse. Referring to the government’s repeated advice to the PPP chairperson to defer her arrival created doubts that the blasts were aimed at terrorising the country’s political forces.

Senior politician Mairaj Mohammad Khan demanded a thorough inquiry into the tragic incident, saying that the culprits and all those behind this act of terrorism must be exposed and given exemplary punishment.

He was of the view that the country would remain in the grip of political and other crises unless citizens’ constitutional rights were restored and provincial autonomy was granted.

MMA leaders and ex-legislators Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, Laeeq Khan and Nasrullah Shaji; former city nazim Niamatullah Khan and JI leader Mr Sarfraz said the bombing of the welcome procession proved the government’s failure to prevent such attacks. They observed that terrorists and criminals were striking wherever and whenever they wanted at will. They termed the continuing attacks “the ultimate result of the pro-US policies adopted by the rulers.”

They accused the government of pushing the country into anarchy just to perpetuate the dictatorship.

Nisar Memon, Additional Secretary-General of the PML-Q, said that the bombing might be the handiwork of the extremist forces which were resisting the country’s march towards a political reconciliation for a stronger democracy.

However, he added, such terrorist attacks would only reinforce the Pakistani people’s resolve to eliminate extremism and extremists.

Sardar Rahim, Additional Secretary Information of the PML-N, held the dictatorial rule responsible for the tragedy, and urged all political forces in the country to forge unity in their rank and file to hand a shameful defeat to the anti-democracy forces.

Nasir Mansoor of the Pakistan Labour Party, deploring the attack, said that certain elements within the government wanted to sabotage the ongoing political process in the country as they considered participation of masses in governance detrimental to their own interests.

Shahi Syed, President of the Awami National Party, Sindh chapter, said no Muslim could even think of committing such a heinous crime against humanity. He said members of his party and community in transport sector were also observing the three-day mourning declared by the PPP.

Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, Qari Mohammad Usman and Maulana Mohammad Omar Sadiq of the JUI-F said the attack posed a serious challenge to all democratic forces, which must formulate a joint strategy to meet this challenge.

Leaders of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party held the military leadership of the country responsible for all acts of terrorism and growing extremism in the country, observing that the military rulers had been denying the citizens their constitutional and democratic rights for 60 years. They said the attack on the PPP procession was a message to the country’s political forces warning them against indulging in any struggle for the rule of constitution and law.