Just two days after the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) hinted terrorist attacks on political leaders around elections 2018, the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) once again succeeded in its heinous intentions and left Awami National Party (ANP) in everlasting grief.
It wasn’t the first time when ANP leaders’ blood was shed as they approached the messes to highlight its performances and win their confidence.
The ANP especially the Bilour family had probably just overcome the sorrow of losing Bashir Ahmed Bilour but now Haroon Bilour’s life was also brought to an end by terrorists as it was nothing but a worthless entity.
Not only Bashir Ahmed Bilour and Haroon Bilour but hundreds of other NAP leaders and workers have also rendered their sacrifices in terror-related incidents while striving for dominance of people’s will.
Though ANP had to suffer more than other political party in Pakistan but sufferings of others especially Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) caused by the wave of terrorism across the Country weren’t less deplorable either.
Both ANP and PPP were also barred from their due right of launching their respective election campaigns just prior to 2013 polls as multiple blasts in their respective political strongholds left hundreds of lives dead.
Eyebrows were yet again raised as the political parties began flexing their muscles for July 25 elections, and amid that, NACTA while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on July 9, warned about possible attacks on ANP leaders Asfandyar Wali and Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani, Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek’s Talha Saeed, and as well as the leadership of PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The NACTA Director Obaid Farooq told the Committee that 12 threat alerts had been forwarded to the federal interior, provincial home ministries, and law enforcement agencies (LEAs).
When asked about the threats faced by the political leaders, the Information Minister Barrister Ali Zafar told newsmen in Islamabad on Tuesday that both the federal and provincial governments would provide necessary security to the political leaders.
Meanwhile, the Chairman PTI Imran Khan while condemning the death of ANP’s Haroon Bilour in Peshawar urged the State authorities to provide proper security to all political parties and their candidates during their election campaigns.
