LAHORE: Hearing of a Punjab government’s reference for the detention of TLP chief Saad Rizvi could not be held before a federal review board on Saturday as the authorities did not present him due to security reasons.

The board comprising three judges of the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear the reference of the government in Islamabad through a video link from Lahore registry. However, the government officials did not bring Rizvi to the registry due to law and order situation in the city.

Previously, the government had withdrawn its reference before the federal review board when it failed to justify the detention of Rizvi despite an order passed by a Lahore High Court single bench.

Separately, the Supreme Court on an appeal of the government on Oct 12 suspended the operations of the single bench’s order and remanded the case for a fresh decision by a division bench of the LHC. However, a division bench of the LHC is yet to be constituted to hear the matter.

BAN PLEA: The interior ministry has been asked to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) in letter and spirit and place a permanent ban on the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) due to its ‘terrorist’ activities.

“You are requested to impose a permanent ban on the TLP being a party and its leadership and their names must be included in the fourth schedule and their assets be confiscated,” pleads Advocate Abdullah Malik in a complaint filed with the secretary interior.

The lawyer states that the Article 5 of the Constitution demands every citizen’s loyalty to the state and obedience to law. He says the province has been suffering for the last couple of days at the hands of the violent workers of the TLP. He submits that the organisation has been using the name of Islam and exploiting religious sentiments of the citizens.

He argues that the government has failed to establish its writ and it seems that no authority is ready to handle the ‘terrorist’ organisation.

The complainant urges the interior ministry to immediately impose a permanent ban on the TLP to save the lives and properties of the citizens of the country.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2021