Although the government was successful in convincing the banned Tehreek e Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to end its protest march towards the capital, many important questions have risen since, that require satisfactory answers. To begin with, the deal itself and the terms agreed upon by both parties are shrouded in secrecy as the PTI government has chosen not to reveal any details related to it. That the Punjab government has released over 800 TLP workers two days after the undisclosed agreement was signed and has also taken back its appeal against the bail granted to the banned outfit’s leader Saad Rizvi bythe LHC suggests that primarily a blanket pardon and a promise to not pursue cases against TLP leaders and workers, are part of the understanding. This suggests that the five martyred policemen killed by a TLP mob are unlikely to get any justice. How much more the government has left on the negotiating table is unknown.
There is also no explanation as to why the government’s negotiating team and the narrative around how the TLP would be dealt with changed overnight. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had refused to accept the TLP’s demand for the French ambassador’s expulsion, called in the Rangers in Punjab for two months and had threatened use of force if the protesters continued being violent. Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the group had Indian support, which was also echoed by Minister for Planning Asad Umar. In typical PTI-fashion, an unexpected U-turn was taken as both Ministers were replaced with other cabinet ministers who had a completely opposite tone to the original negotiating team. Perhaps the inclusion of Mufti Muneeb, a political nobody who holds no public office, is the most intriguing due to his apparent pivotal role in brokering the deal and the claim he has made that the TLP had never demanded the expulsion of the French ambassador, calling both Sheikh Rashid and Fawad Chaudhry, liars. This begs the question: what exactly was the TLP protesting for then?
The PTI government has not only shamelessly capitulated in front of a violent bloodthirsty banned extremist outfit but has done so in such a reckless incompetent manner, that it has created significant confusion over what exactly happened. In the process it has also opened the door for other ambitious religiously charged groups to consider taking the TLP route, as they too could also literally get away with murder.
