ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that instead of responding to the fundamental question about the Interior Minister’s lack of understanding of the real enemies of the state, and the utter unacceptability of any defence of sectarian terrorists, the ministry chose to criticise the PPP for alleged wrongdoings.
“When the minister prefers to indulge in his favourite pastime of accusing an opposition political party, his favourite punching bag, instead of seeing the real enemies of state, the nation must worry…” he said while responding to a statement by the Interior Ministry published on Tuesday.
Regarding the Defence of Pakistan Council (DPC), Babar said it was formed perhaps in 2009 as a self-created group apparently to protest the Salala incident. “However, even then the PPP did not allow it to hold meetings in the federal capital. The DPC operated only in Rawalpindi and Lahore, the bastion of power of the party of the Interior Minister,” he said.
He said that when the then interior minister in the PPP government declined permission to Maulana Ludhianvi for holding a public meeting in Islamabad, the latter threatened to march on the federal capital. “Accepting the challenge, the PPP refused to budge”.
The PPP senator said that when next time the “honourable [interior] minister invites Ludhianvi for a cup of tea, he may like to get some facts verified from him”.
He reiterated that the minister’s distinction between sectarian and non-sectarian militant outfits was “deeply flawed, grievously offensive and extremely dangerous”, and had exposed the state and society to incalculable harm.
