File photo. Aamir Qureshi—AFP
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani on Wednesday reiterated calls for the government to convene a joint session of Parliament to discuss a resurgence of terrorism, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) directing its militants to stage terrorist attacks nationwide.
Earlier this week, the TTP announced an end to the ceasefire it had inked with the government last year. In a statement, the militant group directed its fighters to conduct terrorist attacks across Pakistan “wherever they can.” Just a day later, the militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Quetta that left four people dead, and over 25 others injured.
Referring to the TTP’s announcement, Rabbani said it indicated the people of Pakistan were not being informed about the establishment’s dealings with the militants and called for a “clear policy” to tackle extremism rather than the existing policy of alternating between force and appeasement. “The re-emergence of militancy in the shape of TTP finishing the ceasefire has made it clear that the state continues to keep the people of Pakistan in the dark, as this announcement was made by the TTP,” he said, lamenting that the state had not informed the public of its failure in negotiations with the militant group.
“There was clear evidence of increasing sporadic attacks, extortion demands and kidnapping,” he said, referring specifically to reports from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. “The people of Swat held massive rallies against the increase in terrorism but the state replied by applying the anti-terrorism act on innocent citizens,” he regretted.
Lamenting that the state had failed to provide adequate infrastructure to the erstwhile tribal areas in the four years since their merger with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he questioned why there had been no engagement with peaceful civilian movements that could potentially counter militancy.
“I made repeated demands for a joint session of Parliament to discuss the increase in terrorism but it has fallen on deaf ears,” he said, referring to earlier calls for a joint session both last year and last month.
In his statement, the senator also called for steps to make the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) more effective. This, he claimed, would only be possible by replacing National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf as its chairman, noting the speaker’s various commitments prevented him from effectively chairing the committee.