International

Sherpao attends funeral of victims killed in suicide attack

Nirupama Subramanian

Says the attempt on his life has strengthened his resolve to continue with his normal political activities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, who escaped a suicide attack on Saturday, said a day later that the country was determined to fight terrorism and that the danger to his life would not prevent him from carrying out his political work.

The Minister suffered minor injuries in the suicide attack that killed 29 people at a public rally in his constituency Charsadda in the North-West Frontier Province. As many as 52 people were injured in the attack.

Speaking at the funeral of 20 of the victims in Charsadda on Sunday, Mr. Sherpao said the attempt on his life had strengthened his resolve to continue with his normal political activities.

With elections due later this year, the suicide bombing has created a scare, especially in the NWFP where Islamist militants are active.

The attack has also brought to the fore growing tensions between the Federal Government and the Provincial Government, which is run by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a right wing religious coalition that is accused of being soft on militant Islamists active in the province.

Information Minister Muhammed Ali Durrani, speaking in Peshawar, said it would not help to "exchange allegations" or "shift blame" but noted that it was the duty of the province to provide security to visiting federal ministers.

"The NWFP Government needs to focus attention on improvement of the law and order situation," Mr. Durrani said. The Federal Government was ready to extend all assistance in this regard to the province, and help in the investigations into the suicide attack.

The Minister said terrorism and militancy were serious issues and the whole nation had to think of ways fight it.

"All of us, whether affiliated to Government or Opposition need to adopt a joint strategy against terrorism and militancy," he said at a press conference.

The Provincial Government said in a statement that it had no information about Mr. Sherpao's programme in Charsadda.

Provincial Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai told journalists that the attack was a fall-out of the Federal Government's policy of military operations in the tribal areas as part of the U.S.-led international coalition against the "war on terror."

In a message from Ankara, the Turkish capital where he is meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai, President Pervez Musharraf reiterated Pakistan's determination to continue the fight against terrorism.

Mr. Karzai too sent a message of condolence, and said the attack underlined the need for the two countries to work closely against terrorism.

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