A political resurgence for the TLP
The government has agreed to delist the party as a terrorist group.
After the federal government decided on Saturday to issue a letter saying that the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was not a terrorist organization, the TLP acquired political clout in ISLAMABAD.
In addition, the letter would state that the political party was recognized by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), meaning that it may receive media coverage and engage in political activities without interference.
After the TLP announced it was stopping its Pakistan Bachao March (Save Pakistan March), the ruling alliance reached an agreement with the party’s leadership to drop all “political cases” filed against TLP officials and workers.
The TLP’s return to politics will be less rocky thanks to the arrangement it signed with the government.
Key leaders of the TLP, including Dr. Muhammad Shafique Amini and Allama Ghulam Abbas Faizi, signed the agreement with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Economic Affairs Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. On Saturday afternoon, all sides held a press conference to declare that they had signed the agreement and called off the march.
All prior notifications issued against the TLP by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will be de-notified under the terms of the agreement reached between the federal ministers.
In addition, the prohibition on TLP leaders and employees who have already been removed off the 4th scheduled list would be lifted, with the central government reportedly promising to issue orders to the provinces in this respect.
Six months after being deemed illegal, in November 2021, the TLP received a clean bill of health from the federal cabinet, and all of its cases were dismissed, and its members and employees were released from prison.
When the TLP promised to stop engaging in violent protests and instead follow the letter of the law, the federal cabinet reversed its earlier decision to label it a “proscribed” organization under the country’s anti-terrorism law.
The Punjab government proposed that the “federal government may consider de-proscription of the TLP” in light of the “larger national interest and long-term perspective to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future,” and the cabinet agreed the interior ministry’s assessment.
The prior agreement’s specifics, which were agreed with the help of the then-Chief of Army Staff (COAS), have not yet been made public, as promised by the mediators.
In accordance with the newly signed agreement, the government will submit a letter to the US government in three working days requesting the release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who is now serving a sentence in the US for attempting to kill American nationals outside the country. The administration agreed to make a concerted effort to repatriate Dr. Siddiqui to Pakistan.
The agreement stipulates, among other things, that those accused of blasphemy under Pakistan’s Penal Code section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet:) will be subject to Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
Furthermore, both parties have agreed to create a “Counter Blasphemy Wing” within the FIA. The new department will help the existing institution do its job better and will hopefully put an end to the profanation of sacred texts.
The administration has promised TLP it will implement a screening system to remove blasphemous and immoral information from social media platforms. It was also agreed that any appeals of blasphemy convictions would be speedily decided and that the accused would be given a fair trial.
Before calling off the protests, the TLP succeeded in getting the government to agree to lower fuel prices and distribute the entire savings to the public. Oil prices, Russian oil imports, and the rising value of the rupee will all factor into how much the government profits from selling gasoline and other petroleum goods.
The government has agreed to lower the pricing of petroleum products in two installments, beginning June 30 and July 15. To guarantee the agreement is carried out, the government and TLP formed a committee consisting of four TLP members and representatives from the interior ministry, the PTA, the FIA, the ministry of information and technology, and the provincial home ministry.
