NA and Senate slam suicide attack on president

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly and Senate on Friday condemned the suicidal attack on President General Pervez Musharraf and demanded action against those behind this incident.

A resolution expressing condemnation and moved by Mehnaz Rafi says that the president is the symbol of national unity, security and integrity. The attack was a conspiracy against the country and was condemned by all Pakistanis.

Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N) Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the attack demands a serious thought on the part of the government and condemned it. They rejected such acts of terrorism.

Mr Khan said the house was not in order as two members of the Assembly, Javed Hashmi and Chaudhry Sher Ali, were not present. He demanded the speaker order their attendance. In protest the PPPP and PML-N members organised a walk from the house.

In the Senate, the treasury benches recorded their apprehensions about the security of Mr Musharraf and blamed the government for the attacks. The Senate session was prorogued on Friday.

Federal Interior Minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, after condemning the Thursday’s attack on the president said suicide attackers’ bodies were found and the identity of one was ascertained. “But the particulars of the identified person cannot be disclosed for various reasons. It would impede the investigation,” minister said. Mr Hayat said the incident was a conspiracy to destabilise the country and effort would be made to bring the involved people to the court. “The terrorists are fanatics. They are out to destroy society,” Mr Hayat said.

Opposition members including Awami National Party Senator Asfandyar Wali, PML-N Ishaq Dar, Pukhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party Raza M uhammad Raza and PPPP Raza Rabbani participated in the walk. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal senators including Ismail Balidi, Muhammad Ibrahim and Rehmatullah Kakar participated in the upper house proceedings. All the members of the upper house blamed the government for security lapses and called for a review of the system not only for the special personalities but also for the public.

House Leader Wasim Sajjad said if the bid on the president’s life had succeeded there would have been complete chaos across the country. Asfandyar Wali said the incident becomes even more terrible when it seen against the backdrop of the upcoming South Asian Association Regional Cooperation summit and efforts for the settling of Pak-India relations. He said the government should take responsibility for the incident.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam Syed Mushahid Hussain said history was repeated with terrorist incidents but no definite policy has yet been made. He called for a Anti-Terrorism Task Force to be established to formulate a comprehensive policy on this issue and security for nuclear scientists. “Scientists should not be subjected to any media trials and should not be harassed,” he said. MMA Senator Ismail Buledi asked the chairman to set up a committee to end lapses in the security system. MMA Muhammad Ibrahim said the government was hiding facts with the detention of Allama Sajid Naqvi. He said no arrest of real culprits has been made so far. MMA Maulana Samiul Haq said the incident should not delay the passing of constitutional bill.

Senators Babar Bhauri, Kulsoom Perveen, Rehmatullah Kakar, Shahzad Wasim, Bibi Yasmeen Shah, Kamil Ali Agha, Amjad Abbas, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Pari Gul Agha and Nighat Alam condemned the attack on the president and called for reviewing the security policy. At the end the house they offered Fateha for the people who lost their lives in the Thursday’s incident. Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro prorogued the session with the president’s orders.

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