Khursheed Shah for judicial probe into APS, BKU attacks

ISLAMABAD: Expressing concerns over the non-implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah, on Tuesday demanded the formation of a judicial commission to probe the terrorist attacks on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar and the Bacha Khan University (BKU) in Charsadda.

“The government should answer as to why the NAP is not being implemented and who is responsible for it as Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had already disassociated himself in parliament from the implementation of NAP,” he said while talking to media persons outside his chamber at the Parliament House.

The opposition leader came hard on Chaudhry Nisar, saying the minister was not implementing the NAP properly. “Everyone has condemned the Bacha Khan University attack but the interior minister has not even bothered to visit the institution,” he added. The opposition leader asked how Pakistan will face the world if more such terror incidents happened.

Khursheed Shah criticised the government for mismanagement in military courts as only 60 cases had been sent to them so far while the victims were still depending on senior officials for justice. He said the government had rendered the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) dysfunctional as neither it was filling the vacant posts nor it was convening any meeting of it. He said even the website of Nacta was not functional.

Talking about the anti-terrorism operations against the outlawed organisations, he said NAP was only implemented in Sindh but no action was being taken in other provinces.

The opposition leader lauded the decision of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on not seeking an extension in his tenure and said that the chief’s statement had made the whole nation proud. “General Raheel has set a good precedent of not seeking an extension in his service and showed his professionalism,” he said.

Khursheed Shah said this decision has also enhanced the dignity and prestige of the Pakistan Army as in the past some generals, while taking advantage of the political situation, illegally ruled the country for decades. “But the decision of General Raheel to retire after completing his tenure made the whole nation proud,” he added.

Responding to a question related to the tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, he said that no headway had been made by the Pakistani government in this regard. The opposition leader said on the one hand people were facing terrorism and on the other hand the government had started political victimisation against its opponents as the Punjab government put three members of the district council in jail to pressurise them to change their political affiliation. He said those members tendered their resignations from the district council. “I appeal to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to stop this kind of state terrorism against political workers for changing their political affiliations as it will not be a good omen for democracy in the country,” he added.—Originally published in The News