A day after the deadly Peshawar suicide bombing that claimed 100 lives, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has hinted at an operation against terrorism, stressing the need for a national consensus in this regard.
Some 100 people were martyred, and many others are injured as a suicide bomber exploded himself in a mosque situated near Peshawar’s Police Lines.
According to sources, the attacker was present in the front row during Zohr prayers when he exploded himself, injuring dozens of faithful. The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital of Peshawar.
Addressing a session of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Asif stressed consensus along the lines of the Operation Zarb-e-Azb, launched earlier to completely purge the country of terrorists.
He highlighted that any negotiations with “these people” in the past had failed to yield results.
Earlier today, President Arif Alvi summoned a joint session of the Parliament on Feb 8, as lawmakers asked for holding the crucial talks after the carnage.
“The president has called the joint sitting of the parliament at 3pm on Feb 8 (Wednesday) under Articles 48(1) and 54(1) of the Constitution,” according to an official announcement issued by the presidency.
The government would also take up crucial bills on the occasion, including the ICT LG (Amendment) Bill, 2022, reports suggest.
