PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday said that Pakistan was facing a surge in terrorism owing to former PTI government’s decision to release terrorists from jails and resettle them in parts of the country.
“The decision was taken without taking Parliament or the people into confidence which allowed for engagement with the very terrorists that had been defeated by the Police, Army and people of the country,” he said while addressing the media after attending the inaugural ceremony of ‘The Wall of Martyrs’ at the Interior Ministry of Pakistan in Islamabad.
He claimed that the decision resulted in the release of terrorists who were responsible for attacking the Pakistani citizens from Afghanistan.
“They were then invited by Imran Khan to settle in the tribal areas of the country in huge numbers, the very same regions they had been chased out from,” he added.
According to Bhutto, the former prime minister publicly accepted that terrorists were resettled in Pakistan.
“Our Army and Police are still targets of terrorism and the state of Pakistan should ponder upon how this can happen through a U-turn, taken overnight without the permission of the Parliament and the people,” he said.
The PPP chief demanded an investigation into the matter of alleged resettlement of outlawed TTP in Pakistan.
Urging to ensure that such a decision is not taken in the future, he said that it would be difficult for the State to convince people to fight if they are under the impression that a U-turn will be taken and their efforts would be futile.
“Our demand is for this issue to be investigated because such a momentous decision was taken without taking the Parliament or the people in confidence,” he added.
On the Indian supreme court’s verdict, the former foreign minister said that India was violating international law and the resolutions of the United Nations.
India cannot rewrite UN resolutions and international agreements, he said, adding that as far as international law is concerned, Kashmir is a disputed territory and the matter is to be resolved as per the law and resolutions.
