LAHORE: Members of Khawateen Mahaz-e-Amal, Women’s Action Forum (WAF), will continue solidarity with the bereaved parents and families of students and staff of the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar.
In a statement Thursday, WAF said: “At this critical juncture, once again we reiterate our abiding solidarity with parents of APS victims and staff. We reaffirm our pledge to support them in condemnation and rejection of the PTI Government’s recent announcement of a heinous plan of appeasement of TTP, its affiliates and offshoots, through so-called ‘peace talks’, ‘forgiveness’ and ‘reconciliation’,.
“We agree with you that this is nothing but an acceptance of defeat and abject surrender to a militant extremist entity that has declared war against the State of Pakistan, its Constitution, Parliament, Judiciary and all institutions; that has vowed to take over the country by force, and impose its extremist version of a theocratic state; that forcibly occupied and brutally ruled over Swat for two years until a full-scale military operation was launched to free Swat in 2009; with similar operations carried out in ex-FATA districts, displacing millions, especially from South and North Waziristan. We join you in your demand that the Government of Pakistan must immediately cease all ongoing and planned peace talks with the TTP, its offshoots and all other affiliates; along with plans for ‘forgiveness’ and ‘reconciliation’.”
“The PTI government has neither the mandate nor the legal right to ‘forgive’ the cold-blooded killers of 80,000 Pakistani citizens. Only their families have the legal right to do so. Is this an honourable way to end the so-called ‘War Against Terrorism’ by a self-respecting State”, said the statement. “The blood of our loved ones shall not be shed in vain – neither at APS, nor Aitezaz Hassan Bangash, nor the 80,000 Pakistani civilians, LEAs and military personnel we have lost to these terrorists,” the WAF statement concluded.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/898565-women-s-action-forum-voices-solidarity-with-aps-victims-families
