Prime Minister Imran Khan and the federal cabinet approved a summary on Thursday from the interior ministry seeking a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) under the anti-terrorism law.
After the summary was approved, the cabinet has started work issuing the declaration of the TLP’s ban. The government will present the declaration of the ban in the Supreme Court, said sources. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will subsequently denotify the TLP on orders of the apex court. Sources told that all parliamentarians of the TLP will be automatically disqualified after the ECP denotifies the party.
In a major development on Wednesday, after days of violence across the country in which three people lost their lives, including two policemen, the federal government decided to ban the TLP.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad a day earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had said the ban on TLP will be placed under Section 11-B of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, on the recommendation of the Punjab government, and added that a summary for the ban has been moved to the federal cabinet. The interior minister said that “Today we have decided to ban TLP and we will get the approval of the cabinet,”
He said several rounds of talks were held with TLP leaders, however, the party remained stuck to its stance. He said on the one hand they were talking, and on the other directing their workers to prepare for a march on Islamabad, with full force. Later, Rashid also told a news channel that the decision to ban the party has the nod of all stakeholders and has been taken after thorough deliberations.
