Lahore sit-in will continue until our demands are accepted: Rizvi

LAHORE: Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Chairman Khadim Hussain Rizvi on Sunday said that the Lahore sit-in would continue until their demands were accepted.

Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who was declared proclaimed offender, had been leading the sit-in since last Monday.

Last year, he had led the 20-day sit-in at Faizabad Interchange against the amendment in Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath. The protest ended with the signing of an agreement, seen as a complete failure of the state, brokered by the army.

As the sit-in at Data Darbar entered its seventh day, Rizvi vowed to continue until the Faizabad agreement was not completely implemented. “We have no association with terrorists, we are peaceful people and just want the implementation of the agreement,” said Rizvi.

He also made it clear that TLP, the political wing of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah, would take “full part” in the upcoming elections.

On Thursday, a TLP delegation led by Chairperson Afzal Qadri called on Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan at 7-Club where Sanaullah said that matters of TLP were related to the federal government and the provincial government was in contact with the responsible people of the federal government to resolve their issues.

The delegation included Muhammad Waheed Noor, Sheikh Azhar Hussain Rizwi, Muhammad Ghulam Ghaus Baghdadi and Afeez Ullah Alvi. Interior Minister for State Talal Chaudhry, Islamabad Commission Chief Aftab Ahmed Durani, Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Azam Suleman, IGP Punjab, Lahore CCPO and Lahore commissioner were also present on the occasion.

The provincial law minister said that there would be a breakthrough soon, adding that matters would be resolved through negotiations with the participants of the sit-in. The law minister also directed the Punjab IGP and Lahore commissioner to maintain personal liaison with the participants of the sit-in.

Representatives of the delegation then said that they would prefer to resolve their matters through negotiations with the government.

On Friday, addressing a press conference, the leadership of TLP said that they would not issue a call for protests in other cities, as for now, because the government had sought one week time.

“If the 11-point Faizabad agreement is not implemented, the whole country will be on the roads next Friday. We will wait until 4pm on Thursday before announcing the next phase of the protest,” Qadri said.