Peshawar Mor, not D-Chowk venue of protest: Government, Opposition bodies enter into agreement

The negotiating team of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and Rehbar Committee of opposition parties on Saturday finally agreed that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) will hold its sit-in at Peshawar More out of Red Zone of Islamabad.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, defence minister Pervez Khattak, who was leading the government's negotiating team with opposition's Rehber Committee, said that a written agreement between administration and the opposition was reached. Under this agreement, the protesters shall not enter the Red Zone.

He said the government would not create any trouble for them if they wanted to bring food, etc., for the participants of the rally.

About placing containers inside the Red Zone, he said that there is no need to place shipping containers around that area, adding that if someone makes sure that government installations and public property will not be damaged, they are free to hold their protest.

"The deadlock was on opposition's insistence to protest inside the Red Zone and now they're free to protest as it's been agreed they would hold their sit-in at H-9 at a ground near Sunday market. But no one will be allowed to enter the Red Zone," he declared.

To a question, he admitted that PTI protesters had violated an agreement back in 2014 by entering the Red Zone.

He denied any "deal" with the JUI-F in order to give a face saving to the marchers, adding that "we have agreed in writing that they will not go anywhere else except the allocated protest venue."

When contacted, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Secretary General Farhatullah Babar, who is a member of Rehbar Committee, confirmed that 'Azadi March' would only be held at Peshawar Mor.

"We proposed to the government's team that we're ready to hold protest at Jinnah Avenue in front of red-zone besides floating the idea of accepting China Chowk. The government's team told us that it would inform after holding meeting with the Prime Minister. After meeting with the Prime Minister, the government's team refused to accept our proposals," he explained why the talks between government and opposition bodies failed to progress on Friday.

"The government's team gave proposal to hold protest at Peshawar More of Islamabad and we have accepted it," he added.

The sources said that Khattak held a telephonic conversation with the head of opposition's Rehbar Committee Akram Durrani and told him that the Prime Minister has given his consent to Peshawar Mor as protest venue of 'Azadi March'.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019