Interior minister to give policy statement on protests by religious party

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday will issue a policy statement on the recent protests by a religious party in various cities of Pakistan. 

A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, comprising federal ministers Sheikh Rasheed, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Fawad Chaudhry and others took place on Thursday.

The meeting discussed the country's security situation, particularly in light of the protests organised by a religious party.

Participants of the meeting discussed the consequences that may arise after the government earlier imposed a ban on the religious party.

It was decided that a policy statement on the religious party and its protests will be issued in the evening.

Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter to announce that Sheikh Rasheed and Religious Affairs Minister Noor-ul-Haq Qadri will hold a press conference at 4:15pm to issue the policy statement.

PM Imran Khan, cabinet approve TLP's blacklisting as terrorist organisation

Earlier, PM Imran Khan and the federal cabinet approved a summary from the interior ministry seeking a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) under the anti-terrorism law.

After the summary was approved, the cabinet, it was reported, has started work on the declaration of the TLP's ban. The government will present the declaration of the ban in the Supreme Court, said sources.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will subsequently denotify the TLP on orders of the apex court.

Sources told Geo News all parliamentarians of the TLP will be automatically disqualified after the ECP denotifies the party.

In a major development on Wednesday, after days of violence across the country in which three people lost their lives, including two policemen, the federal government decided to ban the TLP.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad a day earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had said the ban on TLP will be placed under Section 11-B of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, on the recommendation of the Punjab government, and added that a summary for the ban has been moved to the federal cabinet.

“Today we have decided to ban TLP and we will get the approval of the cabinet,” the interior minister had said.