PTI to hold countrywide demonstrations against Quetta killings: Imran Khan

Islamabad: While announcing countrywide protests against the unabated killings of Hazara community in Quetta, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Monday asked President Zardari to tell the nation how many times he had visited Quetta to express solidarity with the victim families of Hazara community.

Flanked by PTI leaders Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi, Dr Arif Alvi and others, Imran Khan expressed these views while addressing a press conference here at party central secretariat following the meeting of the party’s political strategy committee.
Imran Khan said that the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi had accepted the responsibility of the Quetta blast in the name of Islam which was damaging the image of Islam as well as of the country.

“The sectarian killings in the name of Islam are shameful,” said PTI chief, adding that even after the promulgation of governor’s rule in Balochistan, the government had failed to provide safety to the public. He said that the governor Balochistan and his appointing authority were responsible for the bomb blast in Quetta, and demanded of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take a suo-motu notice of the situation in Quetta and said that the government should announce financial support for the aggrieved families.

Asked about a demand by the Hazara families for deployment of army in Quetta, Imran Khan said that since the governor Balochistan had failed to deliver in Quetta and there was constitutional provision for deployment of armed forces under article 245 of the constitution, the army could be deployed in Quetta according to the demand by the victim families of Hazara community.

“Had the government held mid-term elections, the country would not have been going through such crisis,” he added. He condemned the brutal killing of Shia community in the country and said that the former consultant of Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Haider Ali, and his eleven-year-old son, were also killed by the terrorists just because they belonged to Shia family.

He said that terrorism had dragged the country towards total devastation. He said that after the promulgation of governor’s rule, federal government was responsible for ensuring peace in Quetta. “(President) Zardari is enjoying life in palace of Rs500 million whereas the innocent citizens are being butchered on the roads,” said PTI chief, adding that Nawaz Sharif should tell the nation why he was silent over such a precious gift of 200-kanal house to the president.
“Under the law, the president is bound to submit the gifts he received to the office of the presidency,” he said.

He said that it was first time in history of the country when all the incapable federal and provincial governments had failed to control the situation as a real opposition did not exist.

“The silence of PML-N on the Bilawal House in Lahore, constructed with a cost of Rs500 million, has raised many questions. He said that the PTI would hold protest demonstrations across the country against target killing of the Shia community.