Lahore sit-in ends as demands met, agreement signed

LAHORE: The sit-in by Jalali group of Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasoolallah (TLYR) at Mall Road continuing for the last seven days came to an end on Friday night by virtue of another agreement.

The agreement was reached between Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali and the government, which reiterated all the six demands contained in the previous agreement between the parties signed on Nov 3, at the culmination of the Islamabad sit-in. The negotiations were pushed ahead when Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq joined in, along with Punjab Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman. The TLYR was represented by Mufti Abid Jalali, Waleed Sharaqpuri and others. Earlier, the efforts of Punjab Auqaf Minister Zaeem Qadri failed to bring the TLYR leadership to the negotiating table.

The new four-point agreement had no mention of the main demand of TLYR regarding the resignation of Punjab Home Minister Rana Sanaullah, about which Dr Jalali later told the media that he had left the demand to Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi of Sargodha, who is the spiritual leader of a number of parliamentarians including those in the ruling PML-N. Jalali, however, warned that if the resignation was not tendered within one month, then he would again take to the streets.

The agreement specified that all clauses of Nov-3 Islamabad agreement would be

implemented in letter and spirit; Senator Raja Zafarul Haq committee report would be made public till Dec 20; Punjab government will constitute a committee of religious scholars of all schools of thought to decide about the number of loud-speakers at mosques and in the light of committee’s recommendations necessary legislation would be finalised till January 16, 2018.

The last point of the agreement says that Muttahida Ulema Board would review the syllabus of Punjab educational institutions with respect to the Islamic values and injunctions, and give its recommendations.

According to sources, the agreement was finalised after Friday prayers, but Jalali requested to withhold the news. He said that he would announce it later after the Eid Milad rally reaches its final venue, for which he had given a call. This was the reason for making the announcement at night.

During the past seven days, all efforts of Auqaf Minister Zaeem Qadri failed in bringing Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali to the negotiating table. It was learnt that Dr Jalali had made it a point that his negotiations could only be held with the federal government, and at last federal minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq had to move in to bring the sit-in to an end by bringing him to negotiations. According to sources, Dr Jalali wanted to stay at part with the leader of rival TLYR group, Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who had negotiated with federal government to end his sit-in at Faizabad.