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Published 08 Apr, 2018 01:02pm

Lahore sit-in to continue until demands are accepted: Khadim Hussain Rizvi

The sit-in being held by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) entered its 7th day on Sunday as party workers continued to protest outside Data Darbar in Lahore.

Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who was declared a proclaimed offender earlier this week, has been leading the sit-in for the implementation of the Faizabad agreement since Monday.

Last year, Rizvi had led the 20-day sit-in at Islamabad's Faizabad interchange against the modification to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath. The sit-in in the capital had culminated with the signing of an agreement — seen as a complete surrender by the state — which was brokered by the army.

“Our sit-in will continue till the time our demands our accepted,” said Rizvi on Sunday while addressing party workers at the sit-in.

“Our party has no association with terrorists — we are peaceful people. All we want is the complete enforcement of the Faizabad agreement.”

Read: Faizabad sit-in: A war of attrition

Rizvi also made it clear that TLP, the political face of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah, would take "full part" in the upcoming elections.

The TLP leadership, addressing a press conference on Friday evening, had said that they would not issue protest calls to other cities — for the time being — because the government had sought a week’s time.

“If the 11-point Faizabad agreement is not implemented, the entire country will be on the roads next Friday. The TLP will wait till 4pm next Thursday before announcing the next phase of its protest,” Pir Afzal Qadri, chairperson of the TLP, had told journalists.

Qadri said that the Punjab government had agreed to present provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah before a seven-member committee of ulema, who would quiz him over his controversial interview and issue a religious edict (fatwa), which the law minister and the provincial government would have to accept.

The contentious Faizabad agreement caused some controversy for carrying signatures of an army general as a mediator, which now the TLP is trying to refer to.

The 11-point agreement contained provisions like release of workers arrested during the last sit-in and withdrawal of cases against them, arrest of those who changed the text of an oath pertaining to finality of the Prophethood and making public the Raja Zafarul Haq report.

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