Govt making efforts to end protest through negotiation: Ahsan Iqbal

Lahore : Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal Sunday said the government was making efforts to end the protest through negotiation as it was causing great inconvenience and hardship to the people including patients, students and employees of the twin cities.

Addressing a press conference along with Minister of State for Religious Affairs Pir Amin ul Hasanat here at PID, he categorically said firm belief in Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as the last Messenger of Allah Almighty, was the fundamental part of Islamic faith, which was also an integral part of the Constitution.

He said the matter had already been settled down once for all and it should not be politicized, keeping in view of its sensitivity as the error in the Electoral Reforms Bill 2017 had been undone.

He said creating doubts about the finality of Prophet-hood law, any propaganda on social media or religious hatred were not in Pakistan’s interest and it should be avoided keeping in-view the prevailing situation.

He said 30-member delegation of ‘Ulema and Mashaikh’ last day were also taken on board to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner.

He said, “Islam allows none to cause inconvenience for the general public and blocking the ways has no moral, religious and constitutional justification. We request them to end the protest as they have got registered their protest. The parliament has already made finality of Prophet-hood law foolproof and there is no ambiguity and shortcoming in it.”

The minister said the government was also trying to maintain the law and order, besides avoiding any conflict and any encounter for ensuring the safety as well as security of the life and property of people in the country.

He said due to the sit-in, about 800,000 people were badly affected and they were facing several problems such as; it was difficult for the children to reach their schools and patients to reach hospital for treatment, which was against the teachings of Last Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon Him.

He said business activities were also affected in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Moreover, it was portraying a bad impression of Pakistan on the globe.

The sit-in would only benefit the enemies of Pakistan as a high level delegation from China was due in Islamabad on Monday for 7th Pakistan-China Joint Cooperation Committee meeting,” he said.

Regarding presence of armed people among the participants of the sit-in, the minister said some subversive elements wanted to take advantage of the situation.

He said with the passage of time pressure on the government was also increasing as the Islamabad High Court had also issued orders to remove the sit-in to facilitate the general public.

He said despite court’s clear order, the government had requested more time to resolve the issue through negotiation.

He said administration was fully capable to take action but the government wanted to resolve the issue peacefully.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Religious Affairs Pir Amin Ul Hasanat called upon the protesters to end the protest in the larger interest of the country and people being faced hardships in twin cities.

He also announced that he was ready to give resignation as a guarantor into the matter if required.