Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday approved the submission to his cabinet of a summary seeking the revocation of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP’s) proscribed status.
The government had declared the TLP a proscribed outfit under the anti-terror law in April this year, after three days of violent protests by the group’s members across the country.
As per the contents of the Ministry of Interior’s summary, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the TLP had made a request to the Punjab government for its de-proscription on April 29.
The development comes just days after the Saad Rizvi-led group and the ruling dispensation, on October 31, arrived at a deal amid the latest round of street protests by the former. However, at the time of the announcement, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, with both sides saying that the details would be announced at an ‘appropriate time.’
Also Read: Meeting of BJP’s national executive is going on in Delhi
However, the decision by the Imran Khan government remains questionable as it also paves way for the group to take part in all sorts of political activities. Moreover, it is also poised to set a bad precedent and will also affect the future governments of Pakistan. With Imran Khan’s nod to lift the ban, future Pakistan governments will also be vulnerable to extremists groups and their bullying.
Earlier in Apil, the TLP was declared as a proscribed organisation after the extremists carried out violent protests to force Imran Khan’s administration to expel the French ambassador over the issue of blasphemous cartoons published in France. Similarly, last month, the TLP took to the streets and negotiations took place after violent protests. Even though the details of the agreement were not made public, it had emerged that the TLP’s demand also included the removal of a ban on the group.
(With agency inputs)
