LAHORE: The government can launch a crackdown against the Faizabad protesters at any time as the second deadline to call off the sit-in has ended, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal observed during a joint press conference with State Minister for Religious Affairs Amin Hasnat Shah on Sunday. “Our forces are fully capable to deal with any unfortunate situation but we are keeping the crackdown as a last option,’ he said. “If the situation does not improve the government can go to any extent to deal with the chaos,” he went to say. He blamed the protesters for the deadlock saying they [protesters] are demanding the resignation of the law minister. “If the law minister will resign, every other day, people will make similar demands,” the interior minister said. He also accused the religious parties behind the protest of making the issue a political launchpad. He said that the teachings of Holy Prophet (PBUH) were of tolerance but Tehreek-e-Labbaik’s protest was contrary to that. Making another appeal to the protesters to end the 12-day-long sit-in, he said that the government firmly believed in “Khatm-e-Nubuwat” and the matter had been solved forever now.