ISLAMABAD: The proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) called off their sit-in last night on Sunday as per its agreement with the government.
As per the sources, the proscribed organisation has agreed to call off its intended long march and sit-in protests, adding that it has also agreed to take part in mainstream politics in future.
The government, on the other hand, has agreed to release all arrested workers of the proscribed outfit while those who are in custody over terrorism and other serious offences will have to seek relief from the courts, sources stated.
Sources further revealed that the proscribed organisation called off its sit-in protest after the government agreed not to take any action against protesters.
Former Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chief Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman has agreed to act as the TLP’s guarantor while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan have signed the agreement with the TLP on behalf of the government.
TLP, govt reach agreement
Officials from the PTI government’s negotiating team held on Sunday a press conference to update the public about their talks with the proscribed TLP.
The foreign minister and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser were present on behalf of the government at the press conference, while Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman was also present.
Rehman started the news conference held in Islamabad, saying talks with the banned TLP have been “successful” and that an “agreement” had been reached.
He said that the agreement reached with the government was not a victory or defeat of any individual, but a victory of Islam and Pakistan.
Rehman shared that a steering committee has been constituted under the agreement which will be headed by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, while Mufti Ghulam Ghous Baghdadi from TLP will join the committee. He said the committee will become active from today and start its work.
“The government of Pakistan and the TLP had a detailed discussion under the environment of mutual trust, and an agreement has been reached between the two sides,” Rehman announced, clarifying that the talks did not take place under any duress or in an atmosphere of tension.
He said that rationality had prevailed over sentimentalism and a consensus had been reached between the government and the banned TLP movement.
The ministers stated that the terms and conditions of the deal would be disclosed at an “appropriate time”, without further elaborating.
“The agreement was reached and signed following detailed talks between the government and TLP leadership. Its practical manifestations would be visible within a week or 10 days […] The agreement has also the endorsement of TLP head Saad Rizvi,” said Rehman.
Qureshi, Qaiser and Khan represented the government during the negotiations.
Rehman, who played a role in reconciliation along with Saylani Welfare Trust chief Bashir Farooq Qadri, told the media that under the agreement, a steering committee has been formed and will be headed by Khan to oversee the implementation of the agreement “in letter and spirit”.
The committee would also comprise Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat, federal interior secretary and Punjab home secretary. While Mufti Ghulam Ghous Baghdadi and Engineer Hafeez Ullah Alvi will represent the TLP at the body.
“It becomes functional today,” he added.
Praying for the policemen and protestors who were killed during the violent demonstrations, the cleric thanked the government, opposition and media for giving peace a chance and calling for avoiding the use of any force.
He said the terms of the agreement would be shared at a suitable time.
Rehman also thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for forming the committee and later “empowering and trusting” it to help resolve the dispute amicably. He said the agreement was reached before further deterioration of the situation.
“The agreement does not indicate a victory or defeat […] rather it is the victory of the nation,” he remarked.
Rehman told the media the talks were held in a relaxed and responsible atmosphere without any pressure and lauded the contribution of all clerics to achieve the objective.
He said the dispute turned violent when the emotions overpowered the sanity, however, it has been resolved with prudence.
He also urged the media to portray the agreement in a positive to contribute to the sincere efforts of the committee which held negotiations for 12-13 hours straight.
He said the agreement would be different from its predecessors which were turned down, or were not implemented on, hours after their signing.
Qureshi also thanked the clerics, who met the prime minister on Saturday and assured their support, who played their part to steer Pakistan out of an ordeal.
He said the committee was formed after the National Security Committee decided to prefer the course of dialogue and resolve the issue prudently.
Keeping in view the mandate, he said the committee worked to address the perturbance among the people and do away with the situation which had led to the killings, losses of properties and economy.
Qureshi said the course of dialogue was opted keeping in view the national interest as any violence could appease none but the anti-state elements.
In the latest protest, a march from Lahore to Islamabad along GT Road, TLP militants repeatedly clashed with police, paralysing traffic as they threatened to blockade Islamabad if their demands were not met.
On Wednesday, four policemen were killed and hundreds wounded when militants opened fire with automatic weapons. No one has been arrested over the killings. Three policemen died in earlier clashes in Lahore.
A report, citing people familiar with the development, claimed the hardline religious group decided to call off the long march on Islamabad after a new deal was reached between its leaders and the government.
The group prepared to march on Islamabad on Thursday despite last-minute negotiations with the government that a minister said were deadlocked.
Thousands of members of the proscribed group had been gathered since last Friday on a highway, just outside Lahore, with a series of demands including the release of their imprisoned leader, Saad Hussain Rizvi.
They began marching north towards the capital Thursday night after a series of deadly clashes with police the previous evening but have since camped near Wazirabad city after Rangers, called in Wednesday to maintain law and order for a period of 60 days, marked a so-called red line about 500 metres from the Chenab toll plaza and put up a notice nearby warning the protesters “not to breach the line or face consequences”.
Reports further said the protestors will end their sit-in from the city near GT Road. Meanwhile, the government will complete the legal formalities to release the workers and supporters of the group it arrested for violating the law and indulging in violent activities.
Per the report, the latest round of talks was held late Saturday night between a ministerial-ranking government team and the top leadership of the group.
TLP FIASCO
The violence erupted after the government of Prime Minister Khan said it would not accept the group’s demand to close the French embassy and expel the envoy.
Khan’s decision infuriated supporters of the party who over the weekend suspended their march to Islamabad to give the government three days to consider their demands but resumed it later, accusing the government of “lies and deceit”.
The party started demanding the expulsion of the ambassador in October 2020 when French President Emmanuel Macron defended blasphemous caricatures as freedom of expression.
Macron’s comments came after a young man beheaded a French school teacher who had shown caricatures in class. The images were republished by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to mark the opening of the trial over the deadly 2015 attack against the publication for the original caricatures.
Since then, Rizvi’s party had been threatening a march toward Islamabad, which it launched last week amid clashes that killed several people, including police officers, in Lahore and elsewhere.
Rizvi’s party gained prominence in the 2018 general elections, campaigning on the single issue of defending the blasphemy laws, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
