ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday the federal government had approved a summary of the Punjab government to deploy paramilitary Rangers in the province for 60 days to maintain law and order in the wake of the protests by the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party.
TLP activists have indulged in violent demonstrations, seeking the release of their top leader, Saad Rizvi, and the expulsion of the French ambassador to Pakistan over the anti-Islam caricatures published in his country last year.
The minister accused TLP protesters of firing on the police in Sadhoke, Gujranwala, with Kalashnikovs, killing three policemen and injuring over 700 in the clashes.
He said that eight of the injured police personnel were in critical condition.
“We have deployed Rangers and allowed the Punjab government to use section 5 of the anti-terrorism act for 60 days,” he said. “A summary for its approval is sent to the cabinet.”
The section 5 of the anti-terrorism act allows the military and civil armed forces to use necessary force after giving prior warning to prevent “the commission of terrorist acts or scheduled offenses.”
“The Punjab government can use the Rangers wherever they want,” he said.
The picture shows the notification issued by Ministry of Interior regarding the deployment of Rangers in Pakistan's Punjab province.
The minister recently carried out negotiations with the banned religious outfit and announced on Monday that the government was willing to accept all of its demands except for the expulsion of the French envoy.
“We are still going to stand by our commitment,” Ahmed said. “However, the TLP has reneged on its commitment of reopening the GT road on both sides [for traffic].”
He warned the TLP of international sanctions, urging its leaders to go back peacefully.
“If the international community slaps a ban on them, it will be beyond the control of the Pakistan government to intervene,” he continued.
The interior minister said that he had directed the Federal Investigation Agency to crack down on those spreading fake news on social media regarding the TLP protest on the instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
