KARACHI, Dec 24: Expressing serious concern and sorrow over the assassination of senior minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and central Awami National Party leader Bashir Ahmed Bilour in Peshawar, civil society organisations have demanded an inquiry to expose the real culprits and the conspiracy behind this brutal act.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, B.M. Kutty of the Pakistan Peace Coalition and Karamat Ali of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) condemned the suicide attack that resulted in the death of many ANP workers, including Mr Bilour, and urged the authorities to take concrete steps to root out terrorism from the country.

They described the assassination as a brutal act by terrorists to stop the resistance movement because Mr Bilour was a bold and outspoken advocate of peace and had always fought against terrorism and the agents of darkness.

They offered their condolences to the bereaved families and the ANP and expressed the hope that they would remain committed to fulfilling their resolve to root out terrorists from the country.