ISLAMABAD: Interior minister, Shaikh Rashid Ahmad, on Sunday announed that the banned outfit Tehreek- e- Labaik (TLP) has agreed to call-
off the march on Islamabad. The minister said after talks with banned outfit the government has agreed to release Saad Hussain Rizvi and other arrested workers of TLP. He added the government will also review the issue of putting Saad Rizvi on the forth schedule.
Meanwhile, TLP has issued a statement wherein it said as a result of agreememt with the government it will not proceed to march on Islamabad. However, it will call- off the march on Islamabad once its demands are met.
On the issue of expulsion of the French ambassador , Shaikh Rashid Ahmad, said the matter will be presented before the parliament.
The agreement, which the federal government had signed with banned TLP last year, calls for expullsion of French ambassador from Pakistan, besides banning imports from France to Pakistan. These both terms of the agreement are difficult, if not imposaible, to implement for Pakistan in the given scenario when Islamabad is already facing huge dipolmatic challenges due to the on-going international anti- Pakistan campaign. FATF ‘s last week decision of keeping Pakistan in grey list was one outcome for Pakistan for saying ‘Absolute No’ to the United States.
In these circumstances, Pakistan can not afford to offend Europe by expelling French ambassador from Pakistan. On the other hand, banned TLP is convinced that it was struggling for a great cause and it should keep pressing its steet power to go ahead to march on Islamabad to achieve ultimate goal.
The government negotiation team comprising federal minister, Noorul Haq Qadri, Punjab Law minister, Raja Basharat and provincial minister Zaheeruddin , was struggling to have another round of parleys with jailed TLP leader. Sources told NAWSMAN that the government team held second round of talks with TLP chief that remained successful.
