LAHORE: Political and religious parties of the country on Saturday condemned the use of force by the Islamabad administration on the protesting Tehreek Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYP) activists, saying the matter should have been resolved by dialogue instead of the use of force.
It may be mentioned here that the government resorted to quelling the disturbance through force, only after several deadlines to the leaders of the protest to end the sit-in had lapsed. Furthermore, the operation was initiated over the orders of the Islamabad High Court.
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said the government’s crackdown had further aggravated the situation, adding, the government should have engaged the protesters in negotiations to resolve the standoff peacefully.
JI chief Siraj said that It was the government’s responsibility to expose the conspiracy against Khatm-e-Nabuwat (Finality of the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), adding that unless action was taken against those who wanted to amend the said clause, people would not be satisfied.
Sack Law Minister
Liaqat Baloch also jumped in to register his protest against the use of violence by the state on the protesters. He, while backing Labaik’s demands, urged Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to dismiss Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid who was allegedly responsible for the recent tampering with the laws relating to the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat.
PML blames Nawaz for violence
On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League (PML) senior central leader and former deputy prime minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi also put his oar in, claiming that violence “on the lovers” of the Holy Prophet (SAW) was aimed at “saving” Nawaz Sharif.
Talking to reporters, Elahi, along with party president Shujaat Hussain, said that media blackout was not the solution of the problem. “If the government is serious in putting an end to this whole episode of violence, they should make the Raja Zafarul Haq Committee report public.”
Pointing out the government’s inefficiency in handling the whole fiasco, Shujaat said that it was the prime minister’s job to negotiate with the protesters, but he was sitting in Lahore taking instructions from Nawaz Sharif.
“If I were the prime minister then the operation would not have started and I myself should have gone there and talked to them, when Supreme Court was attacked I had done like this, said Shujaat.
MYC urges for dialogue
Another politico-religious party, Milli Yakjehti Council (MYC), consisted of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) and other minor political parties, urged the federal government to settle the issue with dialogue.
Sindh MYC President Asadullah Bhutto in a statement said that people’s routine lives had come to a halt, owing to violent incidents as the protest had been expanded throughout the country from Islamabad.
Endorsing the extremist tactics of protesters, he said it was right of the people to protest against the government’s wrong policy regarding Khatm-e-Nabuwwat law, as he urged the apex court to take notice of the change in the law.
MYC supports and endorses the demands of the protestors that the responsible persons behind the amendment in Khatm-e-Nabuwwat law should be exposed,” Asadullah concluded.
