As the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan protests against the Imran Khan government, sources told CNN-News18 that the Pakistani Army is fuelling the tensions between the now-banned party and the government. The Pakistani Army wants the demonstrations to continue and put Prime Minister Imran Khan “on the back foot,” the sources said. In addition, the sources added that army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is upset with the government for delaying Lt Nadeem Anjum’s appointment and joining as director-general of the country’s spy agency ISI.
The TLP is protesting the detention of leader Saad Rizvi, arrested in April when authorities outlawed the group, and are demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador. The group has been behind major anti-France protests that led to the embassy issuing a warning for all French citizens to leave the country earlier this year. On Wednesday, at least three Pakistani policemen were shot dead and 260 more wounded when TLP supporters opened fire at a rally.
EXPLAINED: How Fringe Group TLP Has Put Pakistan On Edge
The sources said that the Pakistan Army and Leader of Opposition Shahbaz Sharif are in talks, with the General Headquarters not ruling the leader out as a replacement for Imran Khan if the situation continues.
All negotiations have failed between the Imran Khan Govt and the TLP in the last few days. As a result, capital Islamabad is ‘blocked’ with containers as the demonstrations continue, with the Pakistani rangers and army personnel deployed for 60 days.
The ruling PTI government has declared TLP as a militant organisation.
The Pakistani government issued a notification related to the proscribing of TLP in the gazette papers of the Establishment Division Pakistan, the human resource arm of the government, sources said. However, this copy was not released in Pakistan and only sent to the Financial Action Task Force, saying the government had declared them a terror outfit, they added.
Now, the TLP wants their name removed from the list of banned organizations, and the outfit’s leader Saad Rizvi is demanding the release of its prisoners arrested after April 2021. The TLP is also demanding recognition as the largest political party in Pakistan.
Militant group
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Wednesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan and the security services had agreed to treat the TLP as a militant group. The government earlier this week announced a breakthrough in talks with the TLP, but the march resumed on Wednesday.
“We tried our best for the success of the talks, but the government is not serious about fulfilling its commitments,” TLP spokesman Sajjad Saifi said. “The expulsion of the French ambassador is our main demand.”
The Pakistani government has repeatedly said it is unwilling to close the French embassy or expel the current acting ambassador. The group’s leader Saad Rizvi was arrested in April when violent anti-France protests erupted, leading to the deaths of six police officers.
The TLP has waged an anti-France campaign since President Emmanuel Macron defended the right of a satirical magazine to republish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed — an act deemed blasphemous by many Muslims.
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