ISLAMABAD: A three-member government team has started negotiations with members of Tehrik-e-Labbaib Pakistan today (Saturday) who have already launched a long march towards Islamabad.
The government’s negotiation team consisted of Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Religious Minister Noorul Haq Qadri and Punjab Law Minister Muhammad Raja Basharat. Sheikh Rashid was summoned from UAE to hold talks with the Tehrik-e-Labbail Pakistan in Lahore which has started its Islamabad march today from Lahore and crossed Muridke.
Earlier, two policemen were killed in Lahore Friday night after a couple of cars collided during a protest by the banned outfit. Clashes between police and members of the outlawed outfit also resulted in injuries to over 40 cops.
Scores of the TLP activists have been arrested from Lahore ahead of the start of long-march to Islamabad on Friday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri today to discuss the prevailing law and order situation.
On the directives of the prime minister, Noorul Haq Qadri arrived in Lahore from Karachi to hold negotiations with the banned outfit’s leadership.
“The government believes in resolving issues through dialogue,” said Qadri, adding that protecting the lives and properties of the people is the government’s top priority.
Earlier, PM Imran Khan had also directed Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad to return to the country from the UAE, where he had gone to watch India-Pakistan’s high-voltage T20 World Cup clash.
Partial shutdown in Islamabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi
A day earlier, authorities had suspended the Metro Bus service in Rawalpindi and blocked roads in Islamabad and Lahore as the government braced for protests organised separately by a banned outfit and Opposition parties in the above-mentioned cities.
The Ministry of Interior had written to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend internet services in various areas of Lahore due to a banned outfit’s protest.
The provincial government had subsequently suspended internet services around Multan Road, Grand Battery Stop, Iqbal Town, Nawankot, Samanabad and Sabzazar areas of Lahore
