ISLAMABAD: Thousands of supporters of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) religious party remained camped in Wazirabad, a city some 190 kilometers from the federal capital, on Monday, continuing their protest sit-in for the fourth consecutive day.
On Sunday, the government announced it had signed a peace agreement with the banned group while the party said it would not call off its now over a week-long protest until the release of its chief Saad Rizvi who has been in jail since April for inciting violence against the state.
Details of Sunday’s pact were not shared with the public by either side.
“Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan workers on Monday abandoned their long march to Islamabad after the proscribed group’s leadership inked an agreement with the government, but continued their sit-in in Wazirabad for a fourth day,” the Dawn newspaper reported.
On Sunday, the government set up a steering committee led by State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan to make a strategy for Rizvi’s release and the removal of the ban on his party.
“This dharna [sit-in] will be called off completely after the release of Saad Rizvi,” Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, TLP’s chief negotiator, told protesters in Wazirabad on Sunday.
The protest would continue in a nearby park in the city “until the government will fulfill at least fifty percent of the demands,” he said.
The outlawed group also announced the reopening of the Grand Trunk Road for traffic from Monday, which it had closed down for four days.
The TLP has been demanding the release of its chief and the expulsion of the French envoy from Pakistan over the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in France last year. The government proscribed the party in April for inciting violence against the state and it is now pushing the government to lift the ban.
“The word ‘proscribed’ with the TLP will be removed and the process may take a week,” Rehman said, while referring to the agreement signed with the government. “The agreement will be implemented [by the government] in letter and spirit.”
“We will come back with full might,” the cleric warned the government, if it dared to back out of its commitments.
The TLP began a long march toward Islamabad from Lahore on October 22 after violent clashes with law enforcement personnel that led to the deaths of two policemen. Two more policemen were killed and several others injured in similar incidents in Muridke and Sadhoke as protesters forced their way past barricades while moving toward the capital.
Shortly after announcing the agreement with the TLP, the government released two members of the group’s advisory council (majlis-e-shura), Dr. Mohammad Shafiq Amini and Pir Syed Zaheerul Hassan Shah, who then joined TLP supporters at the Wazirabad sit-in.
“This agreement [with the government] will be considered null and void if any of the [TLP] members or a leader is arrested from today onwards,” Rehman said, urging TLP activists to stay united: “This is the start of our journey, not the end.”
Sit-in by supporters of banned Pakistani group enters fourth day despite deal with government
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Sit-in by supporters of banned Pakistani group enters fourth day despite deal with government
- Supporters of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan remain camped in Wazirabad city about190 kilometers from Islamabad
- On Sunday, government announced peace agreement with TLP, details of pact were not shared with the public
Pakistan PM, Azerbaijan president agree to boost cooperation in defense, energy and trade
- PM Shehbaz Sharif was accompanied by Field Marshal Asim Munir during his meeting with Aliyev
- Pakistan and Azerbaijan have been expanding cooperation through high-level visits and agreements
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on Friday agreed to further strengthen cooperation in defense, energy, trade and politics, said an official statement released in Islamabad.
The development took place during a meeting between the two leaders in Baku, which was also attended by Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Sharif and Munir are currently visiting the Central Asian state to attend the 50th Victory Day celebrations marking the end of Azerbaijan’s 44-day war with Armenia over Karabakh.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan have expanded cooperation this year through high-level visits and multiple agreements while reaffirming mutual support on regional and international issues.
“Both leaders reviewed bilateral relations and agreed to further strengthen their multifaceted cooperation in the areas of politics, trade and investment, energy, connectivity and defense,” the PM Office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Sharif thanked Aliyev for the invitation to the celebrations and congratulated the government and people of Azerbaijan.
He said Azerbaijan’s victory served as a “beacon of hope” for the people of Kashmir and Palestine.
Aliyev accepted Sharif’s invitation to visit Islamabad again and thanked Pakistan for its support in Azerbaijan’s struggle in the Karabakh region. He also praised Pakistan’s role in promoting regional stability in South Asia.
This marks Sharif’s fourth visit to Azerbaijan this year.
In July, he met President Aliyev in Khankendi on the sidelines of the 17th ECO Summit, while in May he traveled to Baku as part of a broader economic diplomacy drive with Central Asian republics, offering them access to Pakistan’s southern ports in Karachi and Gwadar.
In addition to their long-standing fraternal ties, Pakistan and Azerbaijan maintain close cooperation in regional and international forums including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Economic Cooperation Organization and the United Nations.
In July 2024, Azerbaijan announced a $2 billion investment in Pakistan during President Aliyev’s visit to Islamabad.
Earlier, in September 2023, Pakistan signed a contract to supply JF-17 Block III fighter jets to Azerbaijan, marking a significant step in strengthening defense cooperation.
