ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s provincial government of Punjab has sought the approval of its cabinet to take Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party off the list of proscribed entities after days of violent protests by the outfit in which at least five policemen were killed and hundreds of others were injured.
The federal government reached a peace deal with the banned religious group on Sunday to put an end to the weeklong TLP demonstration, though thousands of protesters are still camped in Wazirabad, a city some 190 kilometers from Islamabad, seeking the release of their chief Saad Rizvi and waiting for the ban to be lifted against their party.
Rizvi was arrested in April this year for inciting violence against the state while the government had also imposed a ban on the group under the anti-terrorism law. The group had killed at least six policemen and injured hundreds of others while seeking the expulsion of the French envoy in Islamabad over the publication of caricatures against Islam in his country last year.
“The competent authority has been pleased to approve that the case [dealing with the revocation of TLP's proscription] may be placed before the provincial cabinet for approval through circulation,” the Punjab government said in a summary sent to provincial ministers on Thursday.
“The provincial ministers are requested to communicate their opinion/approval as early as possible,” it added.
The summary said if the response was not received from the ministers in three days, their acceptance to the recommendations contained in the document would be assumed.
The provincial administration would communicate to the federal government after getting a formal approval from its cabinet members to remove the TLP from the list of proscribed entities.
On the request of the provincial authorities, the federal cabinet will then give a final verdict on the summary received from the Punjab home department.
As part of the peace deal, the government has already released at least 2,000 arrested workers of the proscribed group, though Saad Rizvi is still in jail pending a decision from the Lahore High Court.
