ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah on Tuesday advised the government to seek Pakistan Army’s held to end the ongoing Faizabad sit-in.
Talking to the media, he said that the government was constitutionally empowered to call in the military to assist civilian authorities to quell the protest of a religious or any other group.
Hundreds of activists and supporters of the Tehreek Labaik Ya Rasool Allah had camped out at the Faizabad Interchange, which connects Rawalpindi and Islamabad, multiplying hardships of the people of the twin cities.
On Monday, the government convened a meeting of leading religious scholars in a bid to find a negotiated end to the protest, which has kept the capital on tenterhooks. During the marathon meeting held at the Punjab House, it was decided to form a committee headed by Pir Haseenuddin Shah to propose a comprehensive solution to the sit-in. A day earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had granted two days to the administration to clear the Faizabad Interchange of protesters. Tehreek Labaik Ya Rasool Allah has been protesting for a fortnight, demanding action against those responsible for making now-withdrawn amendment to the clause pertaining to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath for electoral candidates and the sacking of Law Minister Zahid Hamid.
Published in Daily Times, November 22nd 2017.
