Punjab home dept recommends removing TLP's proscribed status

The Punjab home department has forwarded a summary to Provincial Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for the revocation of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)'s proscribed status, it was reported on Thursday.

The summary has been forwarded to the chief minister after formal approval by the Punjab cabinet's sub-committee on law and order.

The government had earlier declared the banned TLP a "militant organisation" for creating unrest in the country after a series of violent clashes.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that the government decided to consider the already-banned group as a "militant organisation".

Govt forms committee for talks with banned TLP

“We have taken a clear policy decision that the banned TLP will now be considered a militant organisation,” he said.

“We will not treat them as a political organisation anymore,” he emphasised.

However, the latest summary moves to bring TLP back into the mainstream political sphere.

Talks successful

A few days ago, former Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman announced that negotiations between the government and TLP had been successful.

Addressing a press conference along with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, and leaders of the TLP Shura in Islamabad, Muneeb said that the details of the agreement will be made public soon.

He said a steering committee has been formed which will oversee the implementation of the pact. "Ali Muhammad Khan will head the committee," he said. "The agreement was reached after sense prevailed over aggression. Rationality prevailed over sentiments, and all the participants demonstrated patience," he said.

"The participants of the agreement entered the accord in the best interest of the country and its people. This agreement was reached before any untoward incident," he stated.

PM's stance

Amid the law and order situation in the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that he believed in resolving issues through dialogue, but will not allow anyone to challenge the writ of the state.

On the issue of the French ambassador, he said that the expulsion of any diplomat will not help the cause, but will instigate hatred toward Muslims and Islam.

TLP did not demand French embassy shutdown: Mufti Muneeb

Khan stressed that the situation will dent Pakistan's identity, while the TLP leadership was making unrealistic demands, solely for political gains.

Khan said that he did not want bloodshed and looked to resolve all issues through dialogues.

No headway in negotiations

Earlier, talks between the government and TLP failed as both sides were adamant to accept each other's demands. The TLP demanded the release of its chief Saad Rizvi from imprisonment, withdrawal of cases against the party workers, and presenting a resolution against France in parliament.

However, the government had stated that the cases of TLP workers will be decided by the court. It also asked the banned outfit to withdraw from the GT Road and other main highways before the release of the TLP chief from jail.

Cops martyred, several injured

The recent clashes between the police and TLP activists led to the deaths of over four police officials and injuries to several others.

The fierce clashes broke out after the TLP tried to resume its march on Islamabad to pressurise the government to accept its demands.

Three policemen martyred in clashes with TLP

Inspector General of Punjab Police Rao Sardar claimed that the TLP activists were armed with automatic weapons and shot straight at the police. The TLP protesters had blocked the main GT Road for several days and marched towards the capital to hold a sit-in.

Routine life remained paralysed in major cities of Punjab due to the demonstrations while business activity and railways operation were also badly affected.