Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC) Pakistan Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman on Sunday said that the leaders of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) should be shown leniency over the losses caused to public property during the protests just as they did to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during their sit-in in 2014 against the government.
The RHC chief’s statement came after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday announced that the TLP leaders have been charged with treason and terrorism.
He said that PTI had also been involved in unlawful activities, including attacking the Parliament Building and Pakistan Television (PTV) Headquarters, adding that if they can be pardoned for conducting these acts then the TLP leaders and activists also deserved similar treatment. “Cases were also lodged against current rulers, which were later dismissed on personal guarantees. Treason charges are also framed on those living lavishly in palaces in Dubai these days,” said the renowned cleric, adding that the government should legislate for a uniform action on damages during sit-ins and protests. He urged the prime minister, the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) and the army chief to pardon the TLP leaders for issuing provocative statements against them.
He said the authorities must refrain from making the TLP an example as this will only give them a temporary success but will ignite a fire that can engulf the entire country. “Even superpowers have failed to control terrorism by using force and we do not want to arouse religious sentiments and want a peaceful way to resolve the issue,” he said.
The RHC chief went on to say that Prime Minister Imran Khan was approached to nominate the federal minister for religious affairs for the negotiations with the TLP leadership and leave the information minister for ‘political wrestling’.
