Tag: TLP

  • Govt to free more than 2,000 jailed TLP activists after agreement

    Govt to free more than 2,000 jailed TLP activists after agreement

    Pakistan is to free more than 2,000 jailed activists of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)  and the government has allowed the proscribed organsiation to contest elections, under a deal with the government struck to end weeks of violent clashes, reports Reuters.

    TLP has agreed to avoid violence and withdraw its longstanding demand to have France’s ambassador expelled over the publication of blasphemous caricatures by a French satirical magazine, negotiators from both sides told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government banned the TLP after its protests turned violent earlier this year, designated it a terrorist group, and arrested its chief Saad Hussain Rizvi.

    In addition, the government has agreed not to contest the release of the group’s jailed leader as well as nearly 2,300 activists and to remove their names from a terrorist watch list, the three negotiators told Reuters.

    Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said nearly 1,000 of the activists had already been released.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry did not respond to Reuters‘ request for comment.

  • ‘Not a single part of my brother’s body was left unbroken by TLP’: Policeman’s brother speaks out

    ‘Not a single part of my brother’s body was left unbroken by TLP’: Policeman’s brother speaks out

    A brother of a police officer killed by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) spoke about his pain and blamed Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Usman Buzdar for the brutal death of his brother.

    A video was shared on social media by journalist Zarrar Khuhro, in which the officer’s brother said, “There was not a single part of my brother’s body which was left unbroken by the TLP.”

    “All this is the fault of the government. They [policemen] did not have any weapons, they were provided with sticks just to die,” said the grieving brother.

    “Imran Khan sahib and Usman Buzdar are the ones responsible for all this. They made unarmed citizens go through this ordeal,” he said.

    “They did not spare a single part of my brother’s body, he was completely crushed. The cruelty done by TLP is unmatched,” said the brother.

    “My brother was on duty continuously for four days, he took a break and they caught him. [Two fellow officers were with him] One ran away and they smashed the head of the other and eventually killed my brother,” he added.

    The grieving brother said, “He was completely blue after being beaten up brutally. I want justice from this government. They took away all the weapons from the officers a month before and replaced them with sticks just to get killed in the end.”

    The TLP protest turned violent, killing seven police officers and hundreds more wounded during clashes with TLP demonstrators marching up towards the capital.

  • ‘A party with 2.5 million voters cannot be banned’: PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan

    Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan while referring to the ban put by the government on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) said that we cannot afford to ban a party that has a 2.5 million vote bank in Punjab.

    Speaking on Geo News‘ talk show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Ali argued, “Shouldn’t they be a given chance to come into politics?”

    Moreover, he claimed that he met with TLP’s members two days ago along with other government representatives and will welcome the banned organisation into the national mainstream.

    He revealed that the proscribed organisation will accept Parliament’s decision on the issue of the French ambassador’s expulsion from the country.

    While talking about the agreement between TLP and the government the minister said that details of the agreement will come to light within seven to 10 days and hinted at the release of TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi in a few days.

    Anchorperson questioned, “Does Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan know about the details of the agreement?” In response, the minister didn’t answer and remained silent.

    “The state struck a deal with its people to restore peace in the country,” he stressed.

    When asked about the involvement of Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi in this matter Ali Muhammad “ignored” the question.

    The minister added that anti-Pakistan elements did not want peace in the country. He said that they wanted bloodshed and another incident of “Lal Masjid” in the country.

    Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government released more than 800 supporters of the party arrested across Punjab under the agreement which details haven’t been disclosed yet.

    Previously, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said, “TLP will be treated as a militant party and not a political party in Pakistan.”

  • PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry claims that govt will consider adjusting TLP in Punjab’s seats

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Senator and President of Central Punjab Ejaz Chaudhry has claimed that the government will consider giving seats to the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Punjab constituencies, reports Saama TV.

    He said that other political affairs are also under consideration and the agreement between the government and the proscribed outfit can be very beneficial.

    “Our mission is the same,” said Ejaz Chaudhry. He said that he will meet Saad Hussain Rizvi once he gets free.

    Previously, the PTI government said that they had reached an agreement with TLP. Details of the agreement have not been revealed yet.

    Earlier this year, the government had banned the TLP, which restricted them to participate in the elections. Currently, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has restricted all television channels from covering any activity of the banned outfit.

  • ‘You people do not stand together on any issue’: PM Khan shows anger for disunity among PTI leaders

    ‘You people do not stand together on any issue’: PM Khan shows anger for disunity among PTI leaders

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday complained to the members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that they “do not stand together on any issue”, reports Geo News.

    The prime minister reportedly expressed displeasure over the ‘grilling’ of two federal ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Azam Swati by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and directed other leaders of the ruling PTI to stand by them on the matter. The premier seemed angry over the “disunity” among the PTI leaders.

    The premier told them all to “speak the same language” on national and political issues.

    The prime minister, however, barred PTI leaders from commenting on the government’s latest deal with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

    He expressed these views while presiding over PTI’s core committee meeting, which was held a day after the government signed a secret deal with the TLP.

  • Twitter demands govt to disclose agreement made with TLP

    Various people on Twitter have demanded and questioned the government following the state’s claim about reaching an ‘agreement’ with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in order to end the nearly two-week-long protests.

    The details of the negotiations have yet not been made public.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar tweeted: “The people of this country have a right to know about the agreement made with a proscribed group, which caused loss of life and property and disrupted citizens’ lives for weeks.”

    While recalling the Hazara community’s protest, he demanded to know whether the martyrdom of Punjab police officials was in vain and if the perpetrators will be punished.

    PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman questioned the decision to disclose details at an appropriate time. “Peace with the state on what terms?” she tweeted.

    Former Member of National Assembly (MNA) and rights activist Bushra Gohar said: “Yet another surrender agreement to be signed with the alleged Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) funded banned religious extremist group TLP,” with hashtag #GayaPakistan.

    Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir asked the media and all stakeholders to question the government why TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was not formally arrested.

    He expressed his concerns on Twitter and said, “TLP is being kept alive and will be kept alive to be the political nuisance it was intended to be, a variable in Punjab used as a when establishment wants it to.”

    Legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists, Reema Omer tweeted: “Nothing in this press conference inspired confidence, least of all the ‘secret’ agreement”

    Journalist Yusra Askari mocked the government and labelled the agreement between the state and banned outfit as “horrors of this Halloween” that will haunt us forever.

    The protests by the banned outfit led to the deaths of five police officials and injured more than 250 others.

  • Govt successful in negotiating with TLP, maintain secrecy over details

    Govt successful in negotiating with TLP, maintain secrecy over details

    Officials from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Sunday claimed that they had reached an ‘agreement’ with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in order to end the nearly two-week-long protests.

    The government’s negotiating team members Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan, along with Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman were present at the press conference.

    “The government of Pakistan and the TLP held detailed negotiations in an environment of mutual trust and an agreement has been reached between the two sides,” said Mufti Muneeb.

    The details of the negotiations have yet not been made public, Mufti Muneeb said its details would be made public at an ‘appropriate time’. He, however, said its ‘positive results’ would be visible to the nation next week or during the next 10 days.

  • Govt negotiating with Saad Rizvi to end banned TLP’s protest

    Govt negotiating with Saad Rizvi to end banned TLP’s protest

    In a press release by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), it is reported that the government is negotiating with the banned outfit head Saad Hussain Rizvi.

    The government delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Asad Qaiser, and Member of National Assembly (MNA) Ali Muhammad Khan.

    According to the press release, the final decision will be made later today.

    Prior to this, President Dr Arif Alvi reportedly asked for the Ulema’s help in addressing the ongoing chaos in the country due to TLP’s protests.

    In a meeting with a delegation of Ulema of Ahle-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, President Alvi stated that the Ulema have always played a significant role in providing moral and religious guidance to people besides standing with the state in difficult times.

    The meeting deliberated upon various options to address the current situation peacefully and emphasised resolving the matter through negotiations.

    At the meeting, the Ulema expressed concern over the reports of violence which have caused harm to the general public.

    The consultative meeting at the President’s House had taken place after a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting in Islamabad, which resolved to guard the sovereignty of the state from all internal and external threats.

  • ‘TLP’s actions have boosted morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge state’s writ’: National Security Committee

    ‘TLP’s actions have boosted morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge state’s writ’: National Security Committee

    The National Security Committee (NSC) was convened under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday.

    The NSC received a detailed briefing on the country’s internal security situation and the ongoing agitation by the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP).

    The Prime Minister stressed that “no group or entity will be allowed to cause public disruption or use violence to pressure the government”.

    Taking serious note of the unprovoked violent attacks committed by TLP members, the Committee resolved not to tolerate any further breach of law by this proscribed group.

    While emphasising that the government recognised the right of peaceful protest of all Pakistanis, NSC members were unanimous that TLP was deliberately employing violence against public property, state officials, and ordinary citizens to create instability in the country and that this shall not be tolerated.

    All organs of the state stood ready to act as per the law to protect the life and property of citizens.

    The Prime Minister and Committee members expressed condolences at the loss of life of policemen and committed to compensating and looking after their families.

    Participants decried TLP’s misuse of religion and the issue of Namoos-e-Risalat for political gains, which was misleading the common man and creating internal discord within society.

    Participants recalled that TLP had adopted the ploy of violent street agitation on numerous occasions since 2017 and made unrealistic demands each time, solely as a tool to gain political strength.

    In the process, TLP’s actions have caused public disorder, serious economic losses to the country, besides boosting the morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge the state’s writ.

    The Committee unanimously resolved to guard its sovereignty from all internal and external threats and to not allow TLP to challenge the writ of the state in any way.

  • Pemra restricts all media outlets from covering banned TLP

    Pemra restricts all media outlets from covering banned TLP

    The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has restricted all television channels and other media outlets from covering any activity of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

    While issuing the orders in a notification, Pemra referred to the April 15 letter of the Interior Ministry, which had declared the TLP a proscribed outfit, as well as its earlier notification about banning its coverage. It was in April that Pemra first placed a ban on the TLP after it was banned by the government.

    Read more – ‘Go back or things will be out of my hands,’ Sheikh Rasheed warns TLP protesters

    The official notification says, “It is reiterated that regulation 18(h) of Pemra (Television Broadcast Station Operation) Regulation, 2012 and clause 16 of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct, 2015 requires that the programmes shall conform to the laws of the country. Further, Clause 3 (3) of Electronic Media Code of Conduct, 2015 prohibits media coverage of proscribed organisations.”

    “Keeping in view the reasons stated above, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 27 of Pemra Ordinance, 2002 as amended by Pemra Amendment Act, 2007 all satellite TV channels, FM radio stations and distribution service networks (Cobb TV Operators, IPTV) are hereby directed to stop the media coverage of proscribed organisation TLP,” read the statement.

    Read more – ‘Will not allow facts to be distorted’: TLP asks Sheikh Rasheed to reveal details of negotiations

    Currently, TLP is determined to continue with its long march to the federal capital, Islamabad.

    Recent clashes between the banned organisation and the government resulted in at least five officials’ death and more than 200 injuries.