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EDITORIAL: After two rounds of negotiations in Rawalpindi, the government team announced it has reached an agreement with the proscribed organisation, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), bringing to conclusion ten days of its violent protests.

Strangely enough, while announcing the ‘agreement’ Mufti Munibur Rehman, who played the role of facilitator between the two sides along with several religious leaders, said at the presser that its details would be made public at an “appropriate time”, adding that the result would be visible to the nation during the next week or ten days (hoping by that time, public anxiety would subside). The reason for maintaining secrecy, though, is more than obvious: the terms of the deal are too embarrassing for the government.

It may be recalled that a few days earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had announced acceptance of all four demands of the TLP while Prime Minister Imran Khan was away on a visit to Saudi Arabia. Upon his return, the government had distanced itself from that minister’s statement. In fact, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had categorically stated that the “proscribed TLP” would not be allowed to challenge the writ of the state, and treated as a “militant group, not a religious party”. But it did not take long for the government to change tack.

Some details emerging from the negotiations show that the government’s high-sounding resolve has ended in a whimper. According to sources privy to the agreement, the violent outfit has been assured that steps would be taken to lift the ban on it and unfreeze its accounts and assets. ‘Minor’ cases against its leaders and workers will not be pursued, and those registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act would be decided by the courts. It may be recalled that last April after three days of a nasty countrywide agitation by the TLP activists, the government had slapped a ban on it under the Anti-Terrorism Act, also promising to take measures for its dissolution.

An interior ministry notification at the time explained that the government had reasonable grounds to believe that the TLP “is engaged in terrorism... creating anarchy in the country by intimidating the public [and] caused grievous bodily harm, hurt and death to the personnel of law enforcement agencies ... attacked civilians and officials, created wide-scale hurdles.” They have not only committed the same acts of violence and obstruction but also they killed four members of the police force and injured scores of their colleagues, demoralising the entire force. Perpetrators and instigators of these and past crimes deserve the severest punishment. Instead, they are being treated like nothing had happened.

According to Mufti Munib, the TLP will abandon politics of agitation and sit-ins if allowed to continue to function as a political party. Considering its track record, the outfit can be trusted to use some fresh excuse, yet again, to renege on that commitment and turn to violent agitation as it has been doing to put pressure on this and the previous government for the furtherance of its agenda.

The entire episode is a sad reflection on the government’s ability to provide peace and security to the people. Needless to say, no private group is more powerful than the state. Yet, when it comes to the TLP the state has repeatedly failed to establish its writ. What encourages it to act with impunity is a question that begs a credible answer.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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