Bajaur incident was a failure of both federal & provincial govts & security agencies, but no one seems willing to take responsibility: Sirajul Haq

BAJAUR/KHAR, July 31 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Sirajul Haq has condemned the Bajaur explosion, saying the tragic incident is a result of the escalating wave of lawlessness and terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Talking to the media after inquiring about the health of those who were injured in Sunday’s attack at Khar hospital, Sirajul Haq said the question arose who was responsible for the protection of citizens?

On one side, he said, preparations were being made to connect Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan through a railway track, while on the other hand, there was tension prevailing along the entire Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

“Progress could not be achieved without peace. Solving this issue requires collective effort,” he said, demanding the government initiate a national consultation for establishing peace.

Earlier, he also visited Haji Lawang to offer fateh for the deceased and condole the families of the victims.

Sirajul Haq said the federal government was preoccupied with its own affairs in its final days and the KP caretaker government was limited to its secretariat, with its sole function being transfer postings. The presence of the rule of law in the region, he said, was hardly visible. The incidents of target killings, bombings, abductions for ransom, and extortion were common in KP, he said, regretting the public has been left at the mercy of the situation. The KP Assembly was not functioning, the issue of lawlessness has not been seriously addressed in the parliament, nor has any special session of the federal cabinet been held on this matter, he said, questioning where should the people go and whom should the masses turn to for help?

The JI chief said the Bajaur incident was a failure of both federal and provincial governments and security agencies, but no one seems willing to take responsibility. If such a tragic incident had occurred in any other country, the government would have immediately resigned, seeking forgiveness from the people, he said. But, he added, no one seems to be held accountable for their actions here.

“The rulers are a burden on the people. They remain confined in their neighborhoods and bulletproof vehicles under tight security, leaving the poor to die.”

The rulers’ children, families, and businesses are all abroad, and in difficult times, they flee the country themselves, he said.

The ruling parties, he said, had been thoroughly exposed as they failed to bring peace and prosperity to the country.

The issues, Sirajul Haq said, would only be resolved when the nation expelled the tried and tested rulers through the power of the vote. The only solution is the Jamaat-e-Islami, which could truly bring peace and progress to the country, he concluded.