An open challenge to the writ of the state
Over our dead bodies! That is the latest message conveyed to the government by the leaders of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) sitting pretty at Faizabad interchange undeterred by daily ultimatums that keep getting pushed forward.
Now in its fourteenth day, the protest continues to block a major artery that connects the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The general public continues to suffer as a result while the government has failed multiple times to convince the TLY to end the sit-in.
Negotiating with the zealots leading the TLY was bound to fail as they are too much invested into this protest and receding now on their primary demand of Law Minister Zahid Hamid’s resignation would deal a serious blow to their credibility as perceived by their core following.
Sacking the law minister would be tantamount to accepting that the writ of the state is non-existent. It would also set a dangerous precedent allowing anyone to take the capital hostage for weeks to get any set demands to be met.
The deadlock, therefore, persists and an operation approved by the IHC to remove protestors has been deferred by twenty-four hours. How the government hopes to achieve in a day what it has been unable to in two weeks is puzzling.
After a similar sit-in that lasted three days led by the same foul-mothed extremist Khadim Hussain Rizvi, his entry into Islamabad was banned. Despite having no NOC and an IHC ban on rallies taking place anywhere but parade ground the TLY was not stopped at any point when they started their procession from Lahore.
With half the cabinet busy pleading former PM Nawaz Sharif’s innocence on the media and the other half convincing him not to take a hardline against institutions it is no wonder why the government was unable to handle the situation better.
In case an operation is finally conducted one hopes that another Model Town like incident does not unfold. Some serious introspection is required by this government because after a lot of tough talk on the issue of battling extremism progress is non-existent as evidenced by the mob at its doorstep.
