Operation Against Faizabad Protesters

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday morning ordered the district administration to defer by 24 hours an operation of security forces against protesters camped out at the Faizabad Interchange.

The minister's orders to allow the protesters more time to disperse before taking action came shortly after a heavy contingent of Islamabad Police, Frontier Corps and Rangers personnel  equipped with tear gas and shell guns  arrived at the Faizabad Interchange early on Saturday morning. Television footage had shown the security personnel dressed in riot gear.

The decision to defer the operation was made after talks were held with the protestors. The district administration was not included in the talks between the government and the participants.

It was decided that Senator Raja Zafarul Haq will head a negotiating team which is expected to hold a second round of talks with religious leaders and scholars later today. The talks were ongoing on Saturday evening.

The protesters belong to various 'religious' parties, including the Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and the Sunni Tehreek Pakistan (ST), and have been calling for the sacking of Law Minister Zahid Hamid and strict action against those behind the amendment to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath in the Elections Act 2017 ─ which had earlier been deemed a 'clerical error'.