The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Friday condemned the act of terrorism in Swat that killed 20 soldiers and left over 35 injured. “The Swat valley has been under an intense grip of violence for the past several months in the face of a weakening writ of state and the growing influence of Maulana Fazlullah,” said PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman, in a statement issued here.She said Fazlullah has spread fear and disinformation in the region — preventing people from sending their children to school and bringing a polio vaccination campaign to a halt by declaring it un-Islamic. She said this was not the path that anyone who respected fundamental human rights would adopt. “Islam values education, tolerance and respect for one another and these violent attempts to coerce people in the name of religion must stop. Efforts to nab him [Fazlullah] have failed because of the provincial governmentt’s reluctance to halt the area’s talibanisation,” Rehman added.
| The ones that aren't scared of him are similar to him, Sherry. |
Enemy well equipped: Rehman observed that the troops had been attacked just a day after they had moved in. “This means that the enemy is well equipped to cause greater devastation in time. This was a strong message to the state to back off.” She said the extremists would not have gained such strength in the region if their threat had been tackled head-on.
| “The nation has paid a heavy price for the carrot-and-stick approach towards the terrorists. Extremism cannot be nurtured and eliminated at the same time. We have wasted countless lives and several years to a policy that has shaken the ideological foundation of the country.” |
The PPP spokesman said that action to bring peace to the region was long overdue and it is important that this area be allowed to return to a secure, stable and economically prosperous region. “It’s the government’s responsibility to provide security to the people. No government in the world allows its citizens to become hostage to the whims of extremists,” she added.
PPP pledge: Rehman pledged the PPP’s resolve to fight terrorism. She said no nation could “prosper under the shadow of fear”. “On October 18, Pakistanis voted with their feet for the vision of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto because they are looking for security and peace above all else,” she said, adding that the PPP remained committed to eliminating extremism and militancy under Benazir Bhutto’s leadership.