Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Ilyas Bilour on Monday said he feared the birth of another East Pakistan if the government did not control the situation on the country's western border.Talking on a point of order in the Senate, he said the security situation in Peshawar and its surroundings did not allow residents to stay there any longer, as no one was safe from the Taliban, particularly those coming from southern Punjab.
He questioned the government's seriousness about the issue and asked if it wanted to cut off Swat from the rest of the country. "For God's sake, find a way out. God forbid it seems that another East Pakistan is in the making," he said. Bilour said the NWFP government had formally requested the federal government to stop the military operations, as use of force did not win the people's trust.
Senator Abdur Rahim Mandokhel also expressed similar concerns, saying the government had no writ in Swat and seconded Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif's statement that the country was turning into a failed state. Senator Aneesa Zeb, on a point of order, said Parliamentary National Security Special Committee Chairman Raza Rabbani should take a note of the terrorist activities around Peshawar, particularly attacks on schools. Senator Pari Gul Agha said the people affected by the Balochistan earthquake were facing difficulties due to cold weather and load shedding of gas and electricity. She proposed container-houses should be provided for the victims' shelter in winter.