ISLAMABAD: Declaring that the state would never surrender to the organisers of the Faizabad sit-in, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said that the basic objective behind this long-drawn episode was to gain voters’ confidence ahead of the next elections.

Speaking at the Planning Commission, he said that the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah had already announced its intention to contest the forthcoming elections, adding that it had a political motive.

“The purpose is to pit the Nawaz league against a particular sect, to weaken its vote bank,” he said, adding that the religious group was using this issue to rile up sentiment against the ruling party.

Responding to a question, he said the government had two options: to disperse the protesters by using force or to address the issue through dialogue, which is still continuing on different levels.

“If I make the announcement now, we can clear [Faizabad] within three hours. But who will guarantee that there will be no bloodshed, or a repeat of the Lal Masjid operation, or the events of Model Town? Who will guarantee that the fire will not spread through the country and that we will not see clashes in the month of Rabiul Awwal?”

“I am not the interior minister for Faizabad alone, I am responsible for the entire country and I have to look at the broader picture before taking a decision,” he said.

He said there was no justification for seeking the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid because he had no role in the preparation of the election law, which was prepared by all parliamentary parties. If the demands of these protesters were met, all sorts of groups would start staging sit-ins, he said.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2017