Govt, TLP disagree on agreement

LAHORE: The Federal Minster for Religious Affairs, Noorul Haq Qadri has said only the higher courts can put people on the exit control list (ECL) involved in cases or review petitions.

He said according to the legal procedure, Aasia Bibi’s name could only be placed on the ECL on the court orders, and the Interior ministry could not take any decision on its own. However, the government would extend maximum cooperation. He was speaking as a guest in Geo News programme “Naya Pakistan with Talat Hussain”. He said the government would make every effort to implement the agreement, reached with Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). He said it was agreed that those detained in the police stations would be released immediately, but those sent to jails after registration of FIRs would only be set free on the orders of the court.

On the other hand, TLP leader Farooqul Hasan Qadri expressed sorrow that the government is avoiding fulfilment of its commitments made in the agreement. He said the government had agreed to put Aasia’s name on the ECL and quash all the cases registered against the protestors, but the minister is now giving a new version. He asked the minister to implement the agreement in letter and spirit. He said the government must order putting Aasia Bibi’s name on the ECL. He said if the government violated the agreement, the country’s roads could be blocked again. He said neither the TLP people have any foreign agenda nor their children study and live abroad. He said it is against the status of the ministers to back out from their commitments and agreements. He said the previous government meted out step-motherly treatment to the TLP. If the incumbent rulers also did the same thing to the Tehrik, its end would not be different from the previous one. He said it is clear to all that the TLP never came out for personal interests, but for the honour of Holy Prophet (SAW) only.

Anchorperson Fahad Hussain said government-TLP agreement is vague and a number of conflicting interpretations could be made from its postulates. He said the agreement shows as if the government has tried to save its skin. He said it is also possible that it was deliberately left vague for the sake of going back on it. He said if both the parties make their own interpretations, then it would lead to a new crisis. He said the review petition was solely under court’s jurisdiction and the government could not make any commitment. He said the government has saved itself and has pit the judiciary and the demonstrators face-to-face. He asked if the decision on review petition was not favourable, the government could place the onus of the crisis on the judiciary.

Talat Hussain recalled that on Nov 3, 2007, the then president Gen Pervez Musharraf (retd) imposed an emergency in the country and suspended the constitution for the second time during his rule. He detained judges, banned the media, and said in his address to the nation that he had enforced emergency rule since he could not let the country go towards a severe crisis. Talat said actually Gen Musharraf wanted to pre-empt the stay order against his re-election as president. Today, Gen Musharraf is spending a peaceful life in a foreign country but still says that he will try to amend the constitution if given another chance.