ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: Breaking his silence against religious militant organisations, Pakistan Therik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan severely criticised the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) on Monday for the senseless killing of Shia Hazaras in Quetta.

“I am on behalf of my party condemning the LJ by name for committing crime against humanity in the name of Islam. You (LJ) people are committing genocide of Shia community and, by doing so, bringing bad name to Islam,” Mr Khan said at press conference which was attended by Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi, Dr Arif Alvi and other leaders of the party.

Besides endorsing the demand of the protesting Hazaras for handing over the security of Quetta to the army, he called for setting up special courts for speedy trial of the people involved in the crime.

He said that because of fear nobody was willing to provide witness against the LJ operatives and, therefore, the government should take special measures to plug this legal anomaly.

He said Lashkar-i-Jhangvi had accepted responsibility for the Quetta blast in the name of Islam and regretted that it was damaging the image of Islam as well as of the country. “Sectarian killings in the name of Islam are shameful.”

This is first time the PTI has taken a clear stand on an issue involving a banned religious organisation.

Since the party’s march to South Waziristan in October last year against US drone attacks, its leadership has been facing criticism for not raising voices against local religious militant organisations.

The social media severely criticised the PTI for not publicly speaking against the perpetrators of the deadly bomb attack on the Hazara community in Quetta on Saturday. Some of its critics have even started dubbing the PTI a party which harbours right-wing sentiments.

Imran Khan announced that his party would hold countrywide demonstrations in support of the Hazaras.

He hit out at the PPP and PML-N for ignoring the plight of the Hazara community and alleged that the two parties were busy in roping in opportunists to win next elections.

Talking to Dawn, PTI information secretary Shafqat Mehmood said that practically the party had joined protest demonstrations of the Shia community throughout the country after the press conference, but a detailed plan of the party’s own rallies would be worked out on Tuesday.

Imran Khan said the army could be deployed in Quetta under Article 245 of the Constitution to meet the demand of the victims’ families. “Since the governor has failed to deliver in Quetta, the army can be deployed to stop further death and destruction.”

The PTI chief asked President Asif Ali Zardari to tell the nation how many times he had visited Quetta to express solidarity with the families who had lost their loved ones in the twin bomb blast in January. “(President) Zardari is enjoying life in a palace of Rs5 billion, whereas innocent citizens are being butchered on road.”

He said the Balochistan governor and his appointing authority were responsible for Saturday’s bomb blast. The government should announce financial support for the victims’ families, he added.

Mr Khan said former consultant of Shaukat Khanum Hospital Haider Ali and his eleven-year-old son had also been killed by terrorists only because they belonged to the Shia community.

He said it was the first time in the country’s history that the federal as well as provincial governments had failed to curb lawlessness in the country while there was no existence of a real opposition.

He said PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif should also tell the nation why he was silent over such a precious gift of 200-kanal house to the President. “The silence of the PML-N over the building of Bilawal House in Lahore has raised many questions,” he said.

Answering a question, Mr Khan said elections should be held on time because these were the solution to all problems. “Those who want to get the elections delayed are not sincere with the country and its people. I have even demanded mid-term elections,” he said.

Had the government held mid-term elections, the country would not have been going through the present crisis, he said.