Daily Times

Former chief minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif told Faizabad dharna commission that the provincial government was not provided any intelligence report regarding the ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and that he had no clue about the party’s sit-in plan.

The now-prime minister said that a cabinet sub-committee – comprising the provincial law minister and some other important provincial ministers – on peace was formed on matters of law and order in Punjab.

In his statement to the probe commission, he said that the Faizabad sit-in was not expected at that time.

Shehbaz said that the district commissioner and commissioner Rawalpindi as well as the city police officer (CPO) and regional police officer (RPO) had received clear instructions from the sub-committee on peace and security.

The officers were instructed to provide all possible support to the Islamabad administration, then-CM Sharif told the probe commission.

He added that banning of an organisation is subject to strict criteria laid down in the Anti-Terrorism Act.

“The ban could have been imposed by the Ministry of Interior according to its mandate.”

The former chief minister said that the use of force could have created a law and order situation in the country; therefore, political talks were being held with TLP leaders.

“It was agreed in the agreement between the TLP and the federal government that the cases against TLP leaders and workers will be withdrawn after legal procedures,” said the ex-CM.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that former federal law minister Zahid Hamid was asked to resign from his ministerial post by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hamid when he met him during the Faizabad sit-in.

According to the ex-minister, who also gave a statement to the probe commission, junior officers of the ISI Lahore came to his house to take his resignation on November 26, 2017.

The probe commission was constituted on the Supreme Court’s orders following the case pertaining to the 2017 sit-in protest at Faizabad led by former Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi.