No intention of lifting ban on TLP, declares PM

Syed Irfan Raza | Ahmad Fraz KhanPublished April 21, 2021 - Updated about an hour
agoFacebook Count
Twitter Share
28
ISLAMABAD: Motorcyclists make their way through an opening on the road as municipal
workers begin removing shipping containers placed near the Faizabad interchange
after the authorities reached an understanding with the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan
on Tuesday.�Online
� TLP calls off protest after agreement with government
� Minister says cases registered against activists of banned outfit under Fourth
Schedule to be withdrawn
� Prison department yet to receive order for release of Rizvi, others

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday made it clear that the
government had no intention of lifting a ban on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan
(TLP), hours after the banned outfit called off its protests following the signing
of an agreement with the government on submission of a resolution to the National
Assembly about expulsion of the French ambassador.

The prime minister said the TLP would have to approach the court of law for lifting
of the ban imposed by the government last week when the banned outfit staged
countrywide violent demonstrations demanding eviction of the French ambassador over
blasphemous caricatures.

PM Khan took the decision while presiding over a meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-
Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party, soon after the government claimed that it had
�successful rounds of dialogue� with the TLP.

A source, who was present in the meeting, told Dawn that the prime minister was of
the view that if Pakistan expelled the French ambassador, there might be a strong
reaction from the European Union (EU) and Pakistan�s 27 ambassadors in western
countries could be repatriated.

The prime minister said every Muslim loved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and
could not bear his disrespect, but the way of condemnation by the government was
quite different from that of the TLP. Mr Khan was quoted as saying: �No one can
claim that he loves Prophet Muhammad more than anyone else.�

The prime minister said the western countries would not come under any pressure
unless the whole Muslim ummah jointly condemned the act of blasphemy and made the
West realise that it was not the issue of �freedom of speech� but harming the
sentiments of billions of Muslims around the world. He said he would lead a
campaign in which the heads of all Muslim states would jointly force the West to
stop blasphemy of the Prophet.

Another participant said the meeting had agreed that the government would not lift
ban on the TLP and the latter would have to file an appeal in a court to get the
ban lifted.

�We cannot lift the ban now as it is a legal matter,� a minister, who did not want
to be named, said when reminded that the ban was imposed by the interior ministry,
and not by any court of law. He said the prime minister feared that if the French
ambassador was sent back, the future of millions of Pakistani workers in the West
would be on stake. �Similarly, our trade with the West and European states will be
severed.�

A participant of the meeting said the TLP was called a banned outfit throughout the
meeting. �We called them kaladam (proscribed),� she added.
TLP calls off protest

Earlier, declaring the submission of the resolution to the National Assembly as

historic victory for the TLP, the central shura of the banned outfit called off its
protest movement and ended sit-in at its headquarters in Lahore, clearing the venue
and the city after eight days of violence and blockades.

In a video statement, the shura members said that since the resolution had been
presented in the National Assembly, they were winding up their protest camps. They
appealed to their workers to stay peaceful and ignore [social media] rumours.

�The TLP leadership is in negotiations with the government and progress is being
made on all the issues,� the statement said, adding that it was time for peace and
workers should stay peaceful.

After the announcement, the TLP workers started returning home, clearing Multan
Road � one of the main arteries of the city � after eight days of blockade.

In the morning, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed announced that the proscribed
TLP had agreed to call off protests across the country. �Talks with the TLP [on
other than already agreed] are going on,� he said in a video statement after the
agreement.

As per the agreement, he said, the government would present a resolution on

expulsion of the French ambassador in the National Assembly and the assembly
session had been convened. The cases registered against TLP workers under the
Fourth Schedule would also be withdrawn, he said, adding that he would hold a press
conference on the matter.

No written agreement, however, was shared with the media nor made public by the
either side. By the evening, execution of the agreement [withdrawal of cases under
Fourth Schedule] generated some doubts when neither TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi
nor any of his colleagues were released. The prison department official said in the
afternoon they were told to make necessary arrangements for the release of Saad
Rizvi, but no �written word� followed.

A high-up of the home department told Dawn that they had �neither received any
instructions on his [Saad Rizvi] release nor on over 3,000 TLP workers held in
different districts of the province�.

About the potential release of TLP leaders and workers, he said: �Some of them are
held under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) section that jails the culprit for
30 days. Others were charged with and held on terrorism charges and FIRs were
lodged against them. Releasing them would require a lengthy legal process that may
take days, if not weeks, and when the process starts. There are, however, no
official instructions so far to even start the process.�

Late in evening, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said the government could
release the people held under the MPO because it was entitled to do so. �But how
can those booked under murder charges and terrorism be released by the government?
They need legal proceedings and only court can do so.�

The minister insisted that the current status of the TLP was of a banned
organisation and it had to face all those conditions that a proscribed party faced.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2021