By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader Sherry Rehman said on Wednesday that terrorism had increased sharply over the past two years, describing it as a red line for her party.
Speaking in the Senate, she said terrorism had been a key issue in talks between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). She added that the PPP had urged all sides to exhaust every option for a political solution before taking any further steps.
Rehman said she had been part of the negotiating team and that the PTI’s federal team had made a sincere effort to reach an agreement.
She added that the PPP had also made efforts to broker a deal, with a written agreement and a joint declaration ready for finalisation.
She said the negotiating team had repeatedly urged the PTI to include the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister or his representatives in the talks, as the provincial government had a key role to play in combating terrorism.
Sherry Rehman said discussions continued late into the night, but the agreement could not be finalised.
She said the PPP had suffered heavy losses in terrorist attacks, including the deaths of party leaders and workers. She added that the party stood in solidarity with the police and armed forces and shared the grief of families who had lost loved ones in terrorist attacks.
Sherry Rehman urged the federal and provincial governments to work together to combat terrorism, stressing that political differences should not stand in the way of efforts to protect the country and its people.
