National News

Terrorism: Ruling and Opposition Parties Al Dagger Drawn Over in Pakistan

Published

3 years ago

February 7, 2022

News Net Global

Terrorism: Ruling and Opposition Parties Al Dagger Drawn Over in Pakistan

By: Michael Mike

Pakistan is quaking as both the ruling and opposition parties are at dagger drawn over what the relationship with terrorism group and treatment of terrorists should be.

The opposition in the Pakistani Senate has already slammed the government for being soft on terrorism and terrorists.

The opposition during a seating during the week alleged the ruling government of what it called “a policy of appeasement” towards terrorist outfits, noting that talks with those who challenged writ of the state had emboldened and encouraged such actors.

Speaking on an adjournment motion on the rising tide of terrorism, opposition senators also voiced concern over talks

with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which were being held through a government that was not recognised by any country of the world.

They said that the recently unveiled National Security Policy be discussed in parliament and that an internal security policy, as well as the Afghan strategy, should be framed in light of that discussion.

Senators claimed the government was devoting all its energies to stifling dissent and cornering its political opponents, while ignoring its responsibility to protect the lives of the people.

However, the interior minister claimed that negotiations with the banned group had stalled because their demands were unreasonable, warning the opposition of a potential terror threat if it went ahead with its proposed long march and asked them to consider rescheduling it.

Opening debate on the topic, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman sought an explanation on how a sitting prime minister can decide who is the leader of the opposition or who is not — a reference to PM Khan’s recent statement where he said that he had no respect for Shehbaz Sharif and didn’t consider him an opposition leader.

“This is not his decision, nor is it his prerogative. It is the sovereign right of the people to elect their representatives, not his own prerogative as a manifestation of his own hubris and bizarre conceptualisation of the political and constitutional reality of the country,” she remarked.

She also criticised the prime minister for constantly blaming either previous governments, external factors, or anyone but his own government for all the ills that plagued the country. She said the people of Pakistan no longer knew where to turn in their hour of unprecedented misery as crisis after crisis was unleashed on citizens.

“He is making a laughing stock of Pakistan by threatening his own country, but also sending a message to his selectors, who are now clearly fed up with this amateurish show. Too much is at stake, given Pakistan’s national security challenges and economic distress. You can’t rule by tantrums. Pakistan will not be sacrificed to anyone’s ego,” she said.

Also Read: 2023 Presidential Election: Sanusi Lamido indicates…

But defending his party chief, Leader of the House in the Senate Dr Shahzad Wasim said that the prime minister was merely holding up a mirror to the opposition.

Asking sarcastically who could possibly threaten “such an incompetent opposition”, he said after disqualification by the courts, they first distributed sweets and then started asking ‘mujhe kyon nikala’ (why was I removed). This prompted a token walkout by the opposition.

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani said the state had been patronising extremist right wing forces and religious groups, adding that TTP was said to be reorganising in Afghanistan.

He said that the TTP kept on violating a ceasefire agreement, but the government still says its doors are open for talks.

Senator Tahir Bizenjo of the National Party said that over the last 10 days, eight terrorist attacks had taken place across the country, while Nawabzada Umar Farooq Kasi said that negotiating with terrorists only encouraged them.

Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad regretted that terrorists and target killers ruled the roost and demanded that former military ruler Pervez Musharraf be brought to Pakistan and tried for his surrender before the US and the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

He asked who it was that actually negotiated with the TTP, and what were the terms of these talks. He also sought an explanation from the interior minister over his statement about presence of terrorists’ sleeper cells in Islamabad.

Responding to the opposition, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said no talks were currently being held with the TTP since their demands were considered to be against the country’s security interests.

He claimed India does not want good relations between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan, adding that evidence suggested RAW was behind many terror attacks in the country, which were carried out by local criminals hired by the Indian agency.

He also disclosed that the opposition’s protest march on the capital, scheduled for March this year, was also under threat of terrorist attack and called on its leadership to reconsider its decision.

Terrorism: Ruling and Opposition Parties Al Dagger Drawn Over in Pakistan

National News

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

Published

16 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

National News

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

Published

16 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

National News

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

Published

17 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People