F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing the media after attending ‘The Wall of Martyrs’ at the Interior Ministry of Pakistan to hoist the picture of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said that he is grateful to the caretaker Interior Minister, Sarfaraz Bugti for this initiative. The ‘Wall of Martyrs’ is an initiative we appreciate, and has immortalised the sacrifices of the martyrs, Bilawal stated.
The martyrs of the country who have been a target of terrorism, our politicians, Police, lawyers, judges, and the Army soldiers have all rendered great sacrifices. As a result of their struggle, peace was achieved in the land and terrorism was eradicated from the country. Unfortunately, a decision was taken which undermined the efforts of our martyrs.
When a transition of power was taken place in Afghanistan, a decision that was taken without the input of the Parliament or the people, allowed for engagement with the very terrorists that had been defeated by the Police, Army and people of the country. They were released from the prisons in Pakistan and the terrorists responsible for attacking Pakistani land from Afghanistan were also released there. Then, they were invited by Imran Khan to settle in the tribal areas of the country in huge numbers, the very same regions they had been chased out from.
Imran Khan, while in opposition during the unity government, publicly accepted that terrorists were resettled in Pakistan which is the cause behind the country having to suffer through the same crisis yet again. Our Army and Police are still targets of terrorism and the state of Pakistan should ponder upon how this can happen through a U-turn taken overnight without the permission of the Parliament and the people despite the country’s continuous struggle to rid the land of terrorism. Once again, our Army soldiers, Police and the people would have to combat terrorists and defeat them, Bilawal said.
Responding to questions, Bilawal said that those involved in the process and decision should be investigated and their intentions should be made clear. It should also be ensured that such a decision is not taken in the future, otherwise it would be difficult for us to convince our people to fight if they are under the impression that a U-turn will be taken again and their efforts would be futile.
Our demand is for this issue to be investigated, because such a momentous decision was taken without taking the Parliament or the people into loop. This is imperative for ensuring that a decision with such grave consequences is not taken again. Bilawal said that the country’s priority should be to bring the terrorists involved in grave crimes against our country to book. We will continuously engage with Afghanistan, as we did during the unity government. Neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan can get rid of terrorism without working together. We believe in free and fair elections as well as ‘One Man, One Vote’, he said.
Bilawal said that it has once again been proved that India is grossly violating the international law and norms, as well as the resolutions of the United Nations. International powers would now need to review their support of India, when the country is repeatedly abusing international laws. Be it the Parliament or Judiciary of India, they cannot rewrite UN resolutions and international agreements. No matter how many times they reiterate their claim over Kashmir, as far as international law is concerned, Kashmir is a disputed territory and the matter is to be resolved as per the law and resolutions.
