LAHORE: Punjab government today released chief of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Saad Rizvi from jail in the wake of an agreement with the government a few days.
TLP chief was taken into custody on deputy commissioner Lahore’s directives in April shortly after the federal government had declared the TLP a proscribed organisation under anti-terrorism laws and launched a broad crackdown against it.
Saad Rizvi has been released after a reference, filed in the Supreme Court’s federal review board for his detention, was withdrawn.
The government, following violent protests from the TLP last month, had struck a secretive deal with the party after which, the organisation’s name was removed from the First Schedule and Rizvi’s name was taken out from the Fourth Schedule.
A notification was issued by the Punjab Home Department last week, removing Rizvi’s name, which was added on April 16, from the list of the Fourth Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
The government also released hundreds of the party’s workers in line with the accord that it had struck with TLP.
