Tehreek-e-Labaik ends sit-ins after govt assurance to quash cases

LAHORE: The Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) has called off its sit-ins across the country after successful talks with the government. 

According to the details, dozens of members of the religious party had blocked thoroughfares in the provincial capital Lahore and other parts of the country to press for their demands, including quashment of criminal cases against party leaders and workers.

Speaking to the media, TLP leader Pir Afzal Qadri announced to end the sit-ins across the country following the acceptance of their demands.

He said the government has assured that the cases registered against them during their previous sit-in in the federal capital would be quashed.

Qadri said the report of a probe committee formed to look into the controversial amendment in Khatm-e-Nubuwwat declaration for electoral candidates had also been provided to them.

Following peaceful end of the sit-ins, vehicular movement resumed on major roads, including Motorways, GT Road.

The sit-ins came after an anti-terrorism court declared TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi and other party leaders proclaimed offenders in cases related to the last year’s Faizabad sit-in.

The ATC judge declared them fugitives over their perpetual absence from trial proceedings despite repeated summons.

On March 06, ATC declared Rizvi and other leaders of Tehreek-e-Labaik absconders and initiated the process of declaring them proclaimed offenders over their failure to face trials in cases pertaining to the Faizabad sit-in.

The National Assembly had passed an amendment to the Finality of Prophet-hood ( Khatm-e-Nabuwwat) oath for electoral candidates, which triggered protests by a number of religious parties in the country, including TLYRA.

As many as six people were killed and hundreds wounded when the law enforcement agencies had launched a crackdown to disperse protesters of TLYRA from Faizabad that had paralyzed the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi for more than a fortnight.

Protesters had been demanding action against those behind the controversial amendment in Khatm-i-Nabuwat declaration.

Former premier Nawaz Sharif had also expressed displeasure over the mishandling of the sit-in and the surrender of his party’s government to the protesters to end the sit-in.