LAHORE: The PPP has opposed seeking resignation from Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid as being demanded by the protesters staging a sit-in in Islamabad for the last two weeks fearing it may set a wrong precedent.
“Asking the law minister to resign under threat and blackmail will set a bad precedent,” PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar says.
“The first thing that needs to be done is to dislodge protesters from where they are blocking roads and arteries,” he told Dawn by phone when asked about options the government has been left with to deal with the protesters.
The demonstrators, numbering a couple of thousands belonging to little known Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, are camping at Faizabad interchange, the main entrance to the federal capital from Rawalpindi, blocking it to traffic. They are protesting against the amendment made in the written oath regarding the finality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) submitted by all Muslims contesting elections.
The controversial amendment stands rectified through another piece of legislation but the Tehreek activists are demanding that the law minister must accept the responsibility for unnecessarily touching a sensitive issue and resign.
The blockade is daily leading to snarl-up on the busy road causing inconvenience to hundreds of thousands of commuters who use the route between the twin cities.
The Islamabad High Court has already directed the Islamabad district administration to get the entrance cleared in the larger interest of the commuters as the government is showing restraint in using force against the protesters.
Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2017
