Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday took to Twitter to express his disapproval of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for offering to pardon Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members if they renounce violence and respect the nation’s Constitution.
Bilawal tweeted, “The unilateral decision to offer amnesty to terrorist groups within Pakistan is an insult to the thousands of victims of terrorism.”
“Imran’s policy of appeasement to religious fascism within Pakistan as well as on our eastern & western borders will haunt us in-times to come,” added Bilawal.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Khurram Dastgir Khan, while speaking on Dawn News programme “News Eye”, said, “It is shameful and reprehensible of the President and the Foreign Minister to hint at a general amnesty for the TTP.”
“Terrorists in Pakistan have martyred children, women, the elderly, young and our soldiers. We cannot forget this,” said Dastgir.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in an interview with The Independent said that the government would be “open to giving” a pardon to members of the banned TTP if they promise not to get involved in terrorism and follow the Constitution of Pakistan.
The minister’s comments came after President Arif Alvi said, if anyone wants to leave the ideology of the banned TTP and work as per the Constitution of Pakistan, the government may consider a general amnesty.
