Brig (Retd) Said Nazir (Defense Analyst): 

No doubt that Pakistan is sincerely making efforts to eradicate the menace of terrorism from its roots. The Tuesday’s incident is tragic and we strongly condemned such coward act. The foolproof security for all the candidates is not possible but security agencies may take some pro-active measures in this regard. The militants want to create anarchy in our country but the nation is united against militancy. Our military and civil leadership are on the same page and determined to continue war against terror till its logical end. It is also a brave decision taken by the ANP leadership to participate in the election with full dedication. Pakistan Army has been deputed during election in order to maintain law and order situation. It is the time that the upcoming government should ensure the effective implementation of National Action Plan in the country.

Maiza Hameed (Leader, PML-N): 

It was a tragic incident. Haroon Bilour was an asset and he worked hard for strengthening democracy in the country. Now, it is the time to take proactive measures in order to avoid such incidents in future. ECP should provide protection to candidates who are under threat. There should be strong cooperation between interim government, ECP and security agencies. Almost all the political parties have postponed their political activities as a sign to express unity with the grieved family.

Bushra Gohar (Leader, ANP): 

Haroon Bilour was a dedicated worker of the party. During the last elections the father of Haroon Bilour was also targeted by the militants and he embraced shahadat. Whole city is in the state of mourn over the young death of Haroon Bilour. Our party has decided to continue to campaign for the upcoming General Election 2018 after a three-day mourning and peaceful protest. State security institutions must have to fulfill their responsibilities otherwise such incidents could occur again.

Nafeesa Shah (Leader, PPP): 

Pakistan Peoples Party has strongly condemned the tragic incident and expressed sympathies with the grieved family. We have postponed our election campaign in KPK over this awful incident. The fact is that such coward attacks can never weaken the resolve of the nation against terrorism. PPP strongly believes in strengthening of democracy. I would also like to salute the courage and determination of ANP that it has decided to participate in general elections rather than boycotting it. The caretaker government and the security agencies need to ensure the security of candidates as well as the voters.

Ashraf Gujjar (Leader, PTI): 

PTI is only political party in Pakistan that has mentioned the rights of minorities in its manifesto. It needs to be reiterated that under the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, minorities have a special status. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned Pakistan as a country where all segments of society especially minorities would have equal rights. Special quotas are allocated for their participations in all walks of life including politics, education, science and technology, army and civil services.

Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal (Senior Analyst): 

The overall security situation in Pakistan is far better than it was five years ago. Tuesday’s suicide blast on ANP’s corner meeting is highly condemnable in which over twenty people have sacrificed their lives. Such attacks are the part of efforts to affect the election process. The Election Commission should provide the security to the candidates in highly sensitive constituencies. The candidates while campaigning must also be careful. The role of media in current circumstances is undeniable. The voters should come out on 25th July and vote for the party with better manifesto. The political party that comes into power must also deliver whatever is mentioned in its manifesto. Democracy is the only way to defeat terrorism.