Saad Rizvi insisted on closure of French embassy during our talks: Sheikh Rashid

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Thursday that during his talks the chief of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Saad Hussain Rizvi, had insisted on the closure of the French embassy, and was also convinced that the matter will be brought to the National Assembly.

"I have made signatures on this agreement and I am steadfast on this," the minister said, addressing a ceremony in Lahore on Thursday.

Rashid's statement comes after former Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman dismissed reports that the TLP had demanded the expulsion of the French ambassador and closure of the embassy.

Rehman was made part of the talks on the invitation of the government.

TLP did not demand French embassy shutdown: Mufti Muneeb

“Any such demand was never made during the talks, and some of the government ministers lied about it,” Muneeb told reporters in Karachi earlier.

Meanwhile, Rashid refrained from further speaking about the TLP issue, saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed that only one minister speak about it.

Meanwhile, the Punjab home department has sent a summary to Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar for revocation of the TLP's proscribed status. The summary has been sent to the CM after formal approval was accorded by the Punjab cabinet's sub-committee on law and order.

Salient features of govt-TLP agreement unveiled

The development comes after the federal government and the TLP reached an agreement, the details of which have not been revealed. However, Business Recorder has reliably learnt that the government has agreed to restore TLP as a political party, and, in return, the TLP has assured that it would not resort to violence or agitation or challenge the writ of the state.

The TLP has also withdrawn its demand regarding the expulsion of the French envoy after receiving assurances that the government would not oppose the release of TLP chief Saad Rizvi in the court, sources said.

“The issue of French envoy expulsion would be debated in Parliament and whatever decision the Parliament takes regarding French envoy shall be acceptable to TLP,” said a renowned religious figure, on condition of strict anonymity.