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LAHORE: Top leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), including its chief Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, sat down on Saturday to weigh all options in dealing with the demands put forward by the protesting Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) party, even the possibility of Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid’s resignation.
Mr Sharif presided over a meeting called at his Jati Umra residence here in Raiwind, which was attended by Mr Abbasi, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Railways Minister Saad Rafique, Kashmir Affairs Minister Barjees Tahir, State Information Minister Marrium Aurengzeb and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
According to a source in the party, Mr Iqbal briefed Mr Sharif about the government’s plan to end the sit-in by the TLYRA at Faizabad through use of force. “Mr Iqbal was confident that the law enforcement agencies under his ministry would manage to end the sit-in and control the law and order situation in the country. Shahbaz Sharif also told the party chief about the arrangements his government had made in Punjab to handle any untoward situation in the wake of the Faizabad police operation,” he said.
Interior minister briefs Sharif on govt plan to end sit-in
The meeting lasted more than three hours during which the participants were informed that the police had failed to disperse the protesters and that the agitation had spread to other areas of the country, especially in Punjab.
Party sources said that the participants of the meeting had directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to take private new TV channels off the air and to block social media networking sites — Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
“The participants of the meeting sensed the failure of the operation and tried their best to control the damage by blocking media coverage and social media,” said another PML-N insider, adding that Shahbaz Sharif, too, chose not to issue orders for a crackdown on protesters in Lahore or elsewhere in the province, considering the sensitive nature of the matter. “This is the main reason why the protesters were able to roam around freely, instilling fear among citizens.”
At one point in the meeting, the PML-N leaders mulled over whether the law minister should tender his resignation to pacify the protesters who have held the capital city hostage for over two weeks. “However, the party chief deferred the matter telling other participants to watch the situation closely before arriving at any decision,” he said.
On the other hand, the interior minister claimed that the religious parties protesting in Islamabad had “contacted India”. He told DawnNews: “We are investigating the matter. They have inside information and resources that are being used against the state.”
Mr Iqbal added that the TLYRA had a lot of resources at their disposal. “The protesters fired tear gas shells at security forces and also cut the fibre optic cables of cameras monitoring their protest.”
The interior minister further said that the government had tried to end the sit-in in order to comply with the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) orders to the capital administration to evict the protesters from Faizabad. “We are all Muslims and we believe in Khatm-i-Nubuwat. There is no threat to Khatm-i-Nubuwat. If you want to do your politics, do it, but why are you using this issue to incite hatred?” he questioned.
Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2017
Comments (79) Closed
This is a weak government growing weaker by the day.
Inspirational. The ejected officials go to disqualified accused for advice and approval, the resolved the issue created by the Sharif's themselves. Ironic.
too late , and very incapable government
He should have resigned two weeks ago to avoid bloodshed.PML-N is responsible for creating unrest to mask Shareef family corruption,
Actually the meeting wasn't about ending the sit-in, it was about "Please don't let them lock me in" meeting.
Government has failed Pakistanis. It should go.
So all the PML-N leadership sat around and celebrated their total failure in having no control over the protesting. At the end, after hours of back and forth, the Interior Minister received the "Man of the match" Trophy and unlimited miles on PIA, while the Punjab Chief Minister as a runner up received another Toyota Land Cruiser as another gift. The party did not want Nawaz Sharif to feel left out so the party workers decided to let him continue to play the part of PM, but from home.
Govt. Should have penetrated 2000 personnels as protesrers in dharna to sabotage the dharna as the operation started. Mobile and internet service of Faizabad area should have been disconnected upfront. Rizvi Media Live was used on facebook by protesters for live coverage of dharna and Govt. Was unaware Sound system sabotage should have been the first priority by intelligence agencies. This situation exposed govt. inability and lack of training to cope with such type of situations.
The sooner Law Minister resigns the better will be. If you further delay his resignation,your vote bank will fall greatly.PML(N) popularity graph already in nose dive trajectory. Leave the first tier leaders, even nobody is ready to hear your 2nd or 3rd tier leaders. Today your ministers are running from pillar to post to save their skins. The voters of PML(N) are disappointed today, they are self pledging not to vote your party. PML(N) has to blame itself for bad governance,bad policies, alleged corruptions, alleged money laundering. Now people are talking about interim government, who prior to election must complete a thorough accountability of all those in radar. Being a staunch supporter to PML( N) I express my thoughts here, but will never vote to PML(N) in future.
The minister should have resigned a long time ago.
Engineered crisis! Its the continuation of Dharna (destabilizing) politics played by the non-democratic forces and seems continue in one form or another.
Very Sad state of affair indeed.
Govt incompetence galore. All Govt functionaries incl the PM headed towards Jati Umra - is Jati Umra the capital of the country or is it the 'Faizabad Chowk'? This is sheer waste of tax payers' money when all key Govt functionaries are rushing to Jati Umra at public expense - what type of democracy is this?
Wow ,the decisions are still made by a corrupt and disqualified prime minister. No wonder the country has changed into a banana republic.
This appears to be an engineered activity by government. First making uncalled for amendments, then denying it, provoking statements by Rana Sana Ullah and uncalled for address by Capt Safdar in NA, followed by allowing the protesters to enter Islamabad, giving them sufficient time to gain prominence, build support and gain strength, then launching an highly incompetent and mismanaged operation resulting in spreading of unrest all across the country. Responsible individuals must be dealt with severely for negligence, incompetence and conspiracy.
Why Nawaz you dont leave us alone?
Sad state of affairs. Who is the de facto PM? What is the role of Mr Abbasi ?
They all are involved for creating such unfortunate events.
Abiding by IHC orders? Does it mean the government had no mind to end this sit-in that has been a nuisance for common people now for almost three weeks now. Khatm-e- Nabuwat being so sensitive an issue, why was it toyed with at the first place?
I'm a die hard PML N supporter, but due to the growing weak decision making capabilities, NS is losing us all.
We shouldn't elect N again. We admit the mistake!!!
The government lacks vision to foresee and forestall the threats.
The first problem is that the Police were trying to disperse the crowd rather than arrest them for illegally protesting. There was a court verdict and all they had to do was to start arresting people. Instead they tried to disperse them. That was wrong.
Secondly why did they wait so long. Maximum wait should one day. That is it. At the end of the day you go home or you go to jail
The issue is in Islamabad and all top official including PM and CM are reporting to a person Mr. Nawaz Shareef who should have nothing to do with this matter officially and at his residence at jati omra please understand you this type of system is not going to work
Shame on the weak & indecisive government...
Now it is dawned on all of you that matter is sensitive.
Briefing Nawaz Shareef on country's affair he is accused indicted in corruption. Who is leading the affairs of the country ?
Umpire would go to any lengths to avoid any semblance of civilian supremacy. The umpire is the real threat to this country. It broke the country once and is going to do it again.
@mohsin If trying to avoid bloodshed is construed as weakness then this is a good kind of weakness. The government has been trying all peaceful means to end the Dharna. If all those attempts fail then they will inevitably need to use the force which will be sad.
I am against all sort of violence but i support the protesters stance on this matter. The government should have not unnecessarily touched a constitutionally decided matter without consultation.
Its foolish to give in to demands of the mob. Demands will keep increasing. Government must stay firm about this.
Why should hamid resign? Just because 3% of fanatic moulvees want him out? Where is the democracy? Bring this in ballot. Let the ballot deside.
Why so soon. Please wait for a couple weeks more...
Who is the PM, Sharif or Abbasi? Why is interior minister briefing disqualified person?
Even a child could have foreseen the outcome of this 'clerical mistake'. The responsibility of the losses rests squarely with the incompetent law minister and he should go, preferably dragging rana with him.
I support this protest, but I can oppose it as well, as it depends, so under the existing situtation, I will support it to oppose the state anyway, otherwise, I would have opposed if so was necessary.
How mean of Ahsan Iqbal, the protesters threw back the tear gas shell which were fired by police. A failure indeed. "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent"
R u still thinking of resignation ... You should have resigned on the day 1st to avoid this mess
A Persian saying says there is no remedy to a problem created by your own misdeeds!
What you can expect from this weak and fragile government they dont have a control from day 1.
A disqualified man giving advice to law and interior minister :)
There's definitely something wrong about the amendment that the details are not being made public. Dear People of Pakistan! Expect anything bad in nature from the present government.
Agree that the main responsibility is on the law minister but how come any member of parliament or any of the political parties stand clear of this mischievous law ? Every party and member are also responsible, though not equally. They should have shown courage to accept it.
Please define "top brass". Be specific. Thanks.
U have no spine - u will give up And Pay the law minster usd 25 Mio
Is this really the government's failure or being happened on their will? In both the situations it is very pathetic and worst.
Ironically, this small incident - that could've been resolved without resorting to force _ may spell the end of PML-N for good.
Too bad. Corruption charges were not enough. This party has dug it's own grave.
Meeting of arrogant leaders with no knowledge of handling situations. The members want to show their elected power but miserly failed. Just imagine Rana Sanuallah and Saad Rafique giving their advice how to tackle the situation? Doom day
Someone please tell interior minister that this is what banana republic looks like. Had things being done on time, this situation could have been avoided.
If PTI Dharna 2 was avoided, stopping these molvees was an easy task. Why was this not done? Rather protest were facilitated. Someone has to answer for this mess.
all this just to save one minister
Say no to resignation. We will not be held hostage by bunch of religious goons and fanatics.
Morally and ethically PMLN is protecting just one law minister Zahid Hamid and worsening all the country's internal situation.If all the current situation can be controlled by Zahid Hamid's resignation then why PMLN is showing hesitancy??
And next they will ask to hang him. What will you do? He must Not resign. It is a matter of principle.
Mr. Zahid your are always seasonal politician and opportunity, one day you were with NS, QL, NS, your share are very doubtful for Pakistan, if you are loyal to Pakistan save the country from anarchy and let us honorable resign immediately and save Pakistan from further destruction.
I hate this gourment
An incompetent government. They are a bunch of zeros.
PML-N please do give up to demands of fundos. You are part of the problem
If the protestors want the resignation of law minister he should himself give morally the resignation without any pressure from pml n side and explain his position
He has to go. Why are they stalling?
It is a gross govt.failure to understand and handle the situation.
Govt lost capability
@Dr Malaria, Machar Khan Shuttle diplomacy. Running back and forth
Amazing , PML needs ministers who can resolve situations and not make it worse, looks like PML N ministers are their Own worst enemies.
Since Government has admitted its mistake by rectifying the law, why should not they punish them atleast. This way no one would ever think of disturbing Khtam e Nabbuwat law ever.
As a matter of principle the whole parliament should resign as the law was passed by all not just by the minister. It is expected and understood that all members would at least read the draft before voting. Govt lawyers may vote without reading on the instruction of the PM/Party but opposition is supposed to read it carefully if drafted without their consent. Opposition more at fault than ruling members.
The minister should have resigned before these protests even happened. The federal govt has simply lost the plot and should resign immediatley. They can't handle the country's affairs. General elections should be held to give the country some stability with a newly elected govt that has clear direction.
@Faisal Govt lawyers may vote without reading on the instruction of the PM/Party but opposition is supposed to read it carefully if drafted without their consent. Opposition more at fault than ruling members.
Too little too late
Is this a joke ? Those who don't represent majority of people's votes are calling for resignations. Government should stand firm. Crush them.
FAILURE
On which capacity are the Sharif being briefed?? Nawaz is not in government anymore.
This now a phenomenon in a country out of control. It is the responsibility of the national agencies to know about these developments for preemptive action than merely passing it on to the provinces with little control. These darnas, so called, political or religious is faliar to have learnt enough. The choice as best now is to let it wear out, and it will. Sacrificing a minister responsible now is not a big issue, he can later be provided another portfolio. Lastly, you cannot have a solution before the problem, and that is the problem of who or how many are running this country. * Draft.
Ideal time for other parties to stage dharna
No where in the world leaders call business meeting involving country’s security at there private residence, doesn’t any one questions the logic of unnecessary security and travel expenses of these co called ministers. When will we realise that these party is ruining Pakistan and not helping the country at all.
Must not resign just because a mob of few hundred/ thousand want it. If was to resign where would that lead to?
First of all people are about to puke to know that a disqualified NS because of his dishonest character is presiding over a meeting to resolve current issue at Islamabad. Second why Zahid Hamid resign when he was instructed to do by his superiors like Abbasi and Nawaz Shreeif.
This Crisis is manufactured like the other ones to destabilize a democratically elected government.
One thing for sure, Mian Nawaz Sharif is calling all the shots. Jati Umra is not Islamabad is the capital of the country.
@mohsin Yes, something going on under the surface.
Disqualified PM chairing the meeting on such sensitive issues. That show how serious Govt is in resolving the issue. Conspiracy is quite evident.