LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Monday that the provincial administration would try to resolve the issue of Tehreek-e-Labaik’s sit-in through a peaceful dialogue process.
“Since this issue is related to the federal government, the provincial administration is in contact with it. We are also in touch with the leaders of Tehreek-e-Labaik to bring their protest to a positive conclusion,” he told Arab News.
The Punjab government has held two rounds of talks with the leaders of the religious-political group. In the first round, the State Minister for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, and the Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Aftab Akbar Durrani, were also present.
“The Punjab government will not use force against the participants of the sit-in to avoid a Faizabad-like situation,” the law minister added.
Earlier in the day, Tehreek-e-Labaik leaders announced that they would spread their protest across the country if their demands were not met in the next three days.
“We will block the motorway and all the national highways,” Sahibzada Usman Ali told Arab News. “Our workers will stage sit-ins and block the main roads of all the districts in the country. The protest will be seen from Khyber to Karachi, if the government does not accept our demands by Thursday afternoon.”
Tehreek-e-Labaik has staged a sit-in in front of Data Darbar, one of the most popular Sufi shrines in Pakistan, for the past seven days, causing numerous problems to the public.
Traffic congestion has become a norm in the neighborhood where business activities have also significantly declined. Schools in the nearby areas have not been operational for the past few days, and their residents have been finding it hard to carry out their routine activities.
The religious-political organization started its protest when an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad declared its leaders, including Khadim Hussain Rizvi and Afzal Qadri, proclaimed offenders.
Tehreek-e-Labaik is once again repeating its old demand of making the Raja Zafarul Haq Report public. The report investigated the change in the Khatam-e-Nabuwat clause in the Election Act, 2017.
The group also wants withdrawal of all cases against its leaders and workers, besides lodging police reports against the “culprits” who “martyred” its workers. Other than that, it wants the government to fulfill the terms agreed in the Army-brokered agreement during the Faizabad sit-in last year.
However, some members of the Punjab provincial administration say it will not be possible to accept these conditions.
“The demands made in the Faizabad agreement cannot be fulfilled since the Islamabad High Court has already declared the agreement null and void,” Malik Ahmad Khan, spokesperson of the Punjab Government, said while talking to Dawn News, a local television channel.
“There are some elements present at the sit-in who can create a violent situation if the government uses police action against them,” Khan added.
Punjab government wants to deal peacefully with Tehreek-e-Labaik protest
Punjab government wants to deal peacefully with Tehreek-e-Labaik protest
- The group has threatened to spread its protest across Pakistan if its demands are not met in three days
- Impossible to accept demands after Islamabad High Court’s ruling, maintain some members of provincial administration
Pakistan launches digital cash aid for low-income families during Ramadan, PM says
- Ramadan relief moves from state-run Utility Stores to targeted digital wallet transfers
- Government to transfer financial assistance through wallets to support sehri, iftar expenses
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will provide financial assistance to low-income households through digital wallets during the fasting month of Ramadan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday, announcing a government relief initiative aimed at helping families afford daily meals.
The support program comes as many Pakistanis continue to face elevated food and utility costs despite easing inflation, with Ramadan traditionally increasing household spending on staple foods, fruits and energy consumption.
For decades, government-run Utility Stores Corporation outlets were central to Ramadan relief in Pakistan, selling subsidized flour, sugar, ghee and pulses through special “Ramzan packages” that drew long queues in low-income neighborhoods. In recent years, however, authorities have steadily scaled back the system amid mounting losses, corruption complaints and logistical inefficiencies, shifting instead toward targeted cash transfers delivered through digital wallets and banking channels.
The change reflects a broader policy move away from state-managed commodity distribution toward direct financial assistance intended to give households flexibility while reducing leakages in subsidy programs.
“The Government of Pakistan has launched a Ramadan package under which financial assistance will be transferred to deserving individuals through digital wallets so that households can maintain sehri and iftar meals,” Sharif said in a message issued by his office.
The prime minister said Ramadan encourages compassion and collective responsibility toward vulnerable segments of society, adding that welfare support was part of the state’s duty during the holy month.
Officials say the digital cash transfers approach improves transparency and reduces corruption risks while enabling faster payments nationwide, particularly in urban low-income communities.
But the shift to fully digital assistance also brings challenges.
Access to smartphones and reliable mobile Internet remains uneven, particularly in rural areas and among older recipients, while many low-income households use SIM cards registered to someone else, complicating verification.
