Sana says mediation means reaching a middle point which was not the case in these talks
LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday refused to acknowledge the role of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, or anyone else for that matter, in the process of mediation between the government and the sit-in protesters.
Sana said that the protesters belonging to the religious parties—mainly Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYR)—had been demanding the resignation of the federal law minister from the very first day of their sit-in. And the protest ended only after the resignation was tendered by the minister.
There was no role played by anyone in the mediation as mediation mean reaching a middle point; in this case however, the protesters’ all demands were met, Sanaullah told a local media outlet.
Acknowledging a split within the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz over the strategy to handle protesters, Sana said that the opinion within the party on the subject was divided. “One group thought that the sit-in must be quashed with force while the other group opined against the use of force.”
However, following the high court directives of evicting the protesters using “any means necessary”, the opinion in favour of using force [against the protesters] gained strength within the party, he said.
Commenting on Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s reluctance to use force on protesters even after the IHC’s directives, Sana said Ahsan wanted the issue to be resolved through force; however, following the contempt notice by the court, he had no option but to resort to the use of force.
The provincial law minister further said that the credit for mediation only went to Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif who bridged the gap between the two opposing opinions within the party, convinced Zahid Hamid to resign and ultimately created a situation where an agreement could be reached.
“Army chief said the same thing what Shehbaz had been saying— endorsement of talks.” The army chief’s comments were only a reiteration of Shehbaz’s stance, Sana said.
Giving his opinion on the IHC judge Shaukat Siddiqui’s comments on the role of the army in the dialogue, he said, “As a political worker, and a legislator, I believe that the observation of the IHC regarding the paragraph praising army chief was valid. I believe that this paragraph was added by the drafters of the agreement, and it was unnecessary.”
PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, throughout the sit-in, advised against the use of force on protesters, Sana claimed, adding in the recent PML-N huddle Nawaz advised for the resolution of the issue through talks.