ISLAMABAD, Feb 09 (APP): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Member of the National Assembly and former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Monday strongly condemned the recent terrorist incident in Islamabad saying Pakistan is facing a sustained and organised campaign of terrorism and is virtually “under attack”
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Pervaiz Ashraf said Pakistan has suffered immensely as a frontline state in the fight against terrorism with its people making enormous sacrifices over the years.
He said that mosques, places of worship, schools and innocent civilians have been deliberately targeted leaving deep scars on the nation. Ashraf asserted that there is no longer any doubt that Pakistan is facing a form of war alleging that India is behind acts of terrorism inside the country.
He claimed that India is using proxy networks and regional territories including Afghanistan to fund train and facilitate terrorist activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan.
Rejecting sectarian motives behind such attacks, Ashraf said Pakistani society has historically lived in harmony and that terrorism is not rooted in religious or sectarian conflict.
He remarked that this violence began when India realised it could not defeat Pakistan through conventional warfare and instead chose terrorism as a tool.
He stressed that the true victims of terrorism are ordinary Pakistanis who have borne the brunt of violence despite having no connection to political or ideological disputes.
Calling for unity, Ashraf urged all political parties, including the opposition, to rise above differences and present a united front in the interest of national security. He appealed for dialogue within parliament to develop a national consensus on counterterrorism policies, stating that political competition should not undermine Pakistan’s stability.
Ashraf also emphasised the need to raise the issue at international forums, including the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and called on Pakistani diplomats to expose what he described as India’s role in sponsoring terrorism.
Ashraf urged the nation to stand firmly behind the armed forces and law enforcement agencies saying they need encouragement and full public support in their fight against terrorism.
He criticised those who target security institutions through constant criticism questioning whose interests such narratives serve. Ashraf said terrorism is an attack on Pakistan’s future, its children and its sovereignty, and stressed that only national unity can ensure peace and security in the country.
Participating in debate, former speaker Asad Qaiser said today’s discussion focused on the recent tragic incident at a mosque in Islamabad where a religious gathering was targeted resulting in the loss of precious lives and injuries to children elderly and young people.
After personally visiting the victims in hospital, he witnessed their courage and strongly condemned the attack.