- CM Maryam stresses seminaries meant for education.
- Weapons recovered during raids on TLP offices: CM.
- CM Maryam urges distancing from armed groups.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday said that Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) seminaries have been handed over to religious scholar Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rahman, following a ban on the religio-political party.
The federal government, on October 24, imposed a ban on TLP after its protests resulted in the death of a police station house officer (SHO) and three others, including a passerby.
At a meeting of the Ittehad-e-Bain-ul-Muslimeen in Lahore, CM Maryam said that the purpose of seminaries and mosques is to impart religious knowledge.
She said that photos of the violence that occurred during the TLP protests were “something one cannot imagine”.
“Vehicles assigned for cleaning were set ablaze. Roads were blocked, causing difficulties for people,” she said.
The Punjab chief minister assailed the banned TLP for “acting on its own whims”, which she said disgraced religious leaders and parties across the country.
The TLP had announced to stage a sit-in outside the US Embassy to demonstrate solidarity with Gaza.
However, they faced roadblocks across Punjab, while their protest camp was dismantled in Muridke, leading to confrontations with police.
Referring to the party’s planned sit-in in the federal capital, the Punjab CM called it the government’s responsibility to protect those living in Pakistan.
“Embassies around the world are respected and given protection,” she said.
CM Maryam expressed dismay over the call to protest despite an agreement reached for peace in Gaza.
She said that workers of the banned TLP hit the streets armed and made unnecessary demands to the government.
“How was it solidarity with Palestine when calls were made to attack Islamabad after the [Gaza peace] agreement?” Maryam asked.
The Punjab CM then urged religious parties to “distance themselves from such groups”, while calling for religious scholars to play their part in improving society.
Recalling the May 9 riots, she said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) “downfall began” when the “party took up arms”.
“If the PTI had continued its political struggle, no one would have objected,” she said, while noting that her party never took up arms or committed violence during its political struggle.
CM Maryam questioned the rationale behind keeping weapons during the protests, saying that authorities recovered large caches of weapons during raids on TLP offices.
It is worth noting here that the whereabouts of TLP chief Saad Rizvi and his brother, Anas Rizvi, remain unknown, with authorities saying that they would be arrested soon.
