Joint sitting should focus on law & order: Shazia Marri

Islamabad: Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Ms Shazia Marri on Monday stressed the need to focus on law and order in the country by the joint sitting of the parliament as durable peace could help address all other problems, including the economic crisis.

Speaking on a motion to create awareness and build consensus to resolve national issues, including law & order situation, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, foreign policy, climate change impact etc., she said the parliament always played a key role whenever the incidents of terrorism like the Peshawar Police Lines mosque blast and the Army Public School Peshawar attack, occurred.

She endorsed the viewpoint of Senator Raza Rabbani of Pakistan Peoples Party to convene an in-camera sitting of the parliament to thoroughly discuss the facts behind the gory incidents.

The minister stressed that the 20-point National Action Plan (NAP), which was devised on the recommendations of the joint sitting of the parliament, should be completely implemented to avert the reoccurrence of terrorist incidents.

She viewed that extremism and terrorism were interlinked as both the menaces had the same narrative and mindset behind them and the war against the two could not be won until a counter-narrative was devised.

She recalled that despite political differences, her party had supported the NAP as it was important to build a narrative based on principles of unity, faith and discipline.

She said the APS attack and Peshawar Police Line mosque blast had shocked the entire nation and to prevent reoccurring such incidents, “we have to fix ourselves. We have to stop spreading hatred, besides teaching schoolchildren and students of religious seminaries how to promote peace.”