Cabinet approves removal of ‘proscribed’ tag from banned outfit TLP
Protesters vow to continue sit-in until leader is released from jail
Islamabad: Following the government’s secret deal with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the federal cabinet has approved removal of the ‘proscribed’ status from the banned religious outfit.
After the removal of the tag, the banned outfit will be free to participate in elections and retain its legal status.
The cabinet gave the nod to remove the party’s proscribed status through a circular sent by the interior ministry, according to which the TLP has assured the government “it will not organise any violent protests in future.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan approved submission of the summary to the cabinet seeking revocation of TLP’s proscribed status.
In April, the government had declared the TLP a proscribed outfit under the anti-terror law, after three days of violent protests by the group’s members across the country.
As per the contents of the Ministry of Interior’s summary, the TLP had made a request to the Punjab government for its de-proscription on April 29.
After an agreement reached between the TLP and the government on Nov 1, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar granted the initial approval to the summary sent to him by the Punjab Home Department for the revocation of the TLP’s proscribed status.
After granting preliminary approval to the summary, the CM had sent it to the Ministry of Interior to take a final decision regarding the matter through circulation.
The Ministry of Interior, after receiving the summary to change the TLP’s status, had sent it to the federal cabinet.
In line with the deal struck with the TLP, the Punjab government has already removed the names of 48 TLP workers among 90 from the fourth schedule.
The provincial government also decided to release 100 other activists of the proscribed organisation from different jails in the province.
On November 2, the government had started implementing the accord with the TLP, with reports suggesting that it had released more than 800 supporters of the party arrested across Punjab.
The government had signed an accord with the proscribed outfit last Sunday, under which the workers of the banned outfit who are not facing any formal criminal charges were to be released.
So far more than 2,000 protesters have been set free, including senior leadership of the party from police custody.
According to interior ministry sources, the amnesty will also be extended to the party’s top leader, Saad Rizvi, and he will be set free in a day or two.
Meanwhile, protesters continued their sit-in at Wazirabad on Sunday while the district administration and police started removing barriers and hurdles from the GT Road.
Traffic resumed on the Grand Trunk Road across the Chenab River bridge after around two weeks. However, protesters are determined to continue their sit-in until the release of their leader Saad Rizvi.
