Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour on Monday distanced himself from his earlier statement suggesting the suicide blast targeting a party’s corner meeting in Peshawar was an “inside job”, a private television channel reported.
Ghulam’s nephew Haroon Bilour was among the 20 dead when a suicide bomber blew himself up at an ANP rally in Peshawar on July 20.
The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban had claimed the responsibility for the attack.
But Ghulam, in a recent chat with a private TV channel reporter, had contested the TTP’s claim and instead implied that “our own people who have benefited from my nephew’s murder” may have been behind the deadly attack.
Formerly a railways minister, Ghulam claimed that he had evidence suggesting that Taliban were not involved in the attack “but people, who had benefited from his murder, were involved in the heinous crime”.
Ghulam had insisted that the tragic incident did not benefit Taliban, saying that their opponents were wrong to think that they (the Bilours and their political party) would be scared by the attack. “I and my party will take part in elections and won’t let the wishes of our opponents be fulfilled.”
He clarified that he had merely said that the bombing was orchestrated by “those who benefited from the attack”, although he did not elaborate on whom he thought the direct beneficiaries of his nephew’s death are.
He said: “It’s beyond understanding why we are being targeted.” “We strongly condemn these terror attacks,” he added.
In April, more than 12,600 police personnel deputed for the security of unauthorised persons across the country were withdrawn on Supreme Court’s orders.
Published in Daily Times, July 17th 2018.
