Peshawar attack: Political leaders slam Hafiz Saeed's remarks

Saeed blamed India for the gruesome terror attack on a school in Peshawar, killing 141 people

With Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed blaming India for the gruesome terror attack on a school in Peshawar, a strike that killed 141 people, including 132 students. Leaders from across the political spectrum on Thursday united to criticize the former's remarks.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi called for free-thinking citizens of Pakistan to prosecute militant organizations, adding that there is no such thing as good or bad terrorism.

"Pakistan has provided support to terrorists, the fruits of which have been borne by the citizens of that nation. It was expected that an organization like the JuD would make such statements because they do not want the free thinking people of Pakistan to prosecute them. Thus, to mislead them, they have put the blame of the attack on India," Lekhi told the media.

"The Pakistani government and people must understand that organizations that recklessly endanger the safety of the citizens of their own nation must be stopped. There is no such thing as a good or bad terrorist and whether it is Hafiz Saeed or Dawood Ibrahim, they must be brought to justice," she added.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said that Hafiz had no evidence to make such remarks.

"It is wrong for Hafiz to make such remarks without a shred of evidence. How can he blame India for these terrible attacks without any proof?" she said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari felt that this turn of events was a matter of great concern for the government.

"What Hafiz Saeed has said is an issue of concern for India. Our government must register a strong protest against him with Pakistan," he said.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary Atul Anjan stated called for Islamabad to take action against the JuD chief.

"If the Pakistani government doesn't take action against people like Hafiz Saaed, it will only show they did not learn anything from the Peshawar attacks," he said.

On Tuesday, members of the banned terrorist outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar. According to reports, the terrorists stormed the Peshawar school dressed as Frontier Corps' officers. One of the militants reportedly blew himself up, while the others were gunned down by security agencies. Hundreds of people were taken hostage within the school premises before the terrorists were eliminated.

After the incident, Saeed reportedly blamed India for the attacks and has allegedly vowed revenge, claiming the strikes were a conspiracy against Pakistan.