News Analysis |
An internal rift has emerged between the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLP) after the successful protest at the Faizabad sit-in. This new development has put the fate of the political party as a force in doubt.
TLP was apparently in a strong position after generating popular support for a cause. But, the emergence of an evident rift between the head of the religious group (Khadim Hussain Rizvi), who held a protest at Faizabad and another senior representative of the same party, Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali, reflects the bitter dispute within the party.
The TLP after the controversial, apparently individual and hastily decision by TLP chief Rizvi amid the debatable intervention of the Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The spat between the religious heads of the same party became public when TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi openly disowned the Lahore sit-in on electronic media. Both leaders are claiming to be the real leaders of the party.
After humiliating government and its institutions in a twenty-day protest at the Faizabad interchange, the stakes of the party flourished especially after an alleged offer from ruling PML-N was made to accommodate the party politically. According to Mr Rizvi, the Lahore sit-in led by Dr Ashraf is an attempt to take credit for the successful Islamabad sit-in.
The Islamabad Police’s bid to dismantle the protestors had failed humiliatingly and sparked violent protests across the country. Different local leaders of TLP and other religious parties taking part in the sit-in mobilised their workers across Pakistan to protest against the assault against the religious outfits in a confrontation with the law enforcement agencies.
Read more: Jalali announces resignation and concludes the Lahore sit-in after 7-days
Following the operation, Dr Ashraf along with his party workers disrupted the traffic at Mall road Lahore on 25th November and pegged their tents at one of the busiest intersections of the city. The protest has entered its 7th day, and protesters are yet to acknowledge the deal brokered between the TLP and the government by the army. Moreover, the group seeks the resignation of the Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for allegedly speaking for the rights of the Ahmadi community.
This chapter of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah warns of a protest march towards Islamabad on January 4th, if the government fails to unveil the Raja Zafarul Haq-led committee’s report in public.
Dr Ashraf said that Rizvi had demanded the resignation of the entire cabinet on the ground of killings of party workers, then how can he only accept the resignation of Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid.
The developing situation has further ignited the heated debate between the senior party leaders amid accusations of lousy conduct hurled at each other openly in TV programs.
Despite showing reservation in the hastily signed agreement, Dr Ashraf was apparently ignored. Speaking with the media, he said: “Qisas for 70 martyrs of Khatm-e-Nubuwat was not incorporated in it [agreement]”.
Other than the Lahore group, another faction of the group has emerged in KP. This chapter of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah warns of a protest march towards Islamabad on January 4th, if the government fails to unveil the Raja Zafarul Haq-led committee’s report in public on the controversial law within a month.
Read more: Army to follow government’s directives on the sit-in but what will…
It also stated that it would observe Mumtaz Qadri’s death anniversary on January 4th, despite the fact that Qadri was hanged on February 29th. However, on January 4th Mumtaz Qadri had assassinated the Punjab governor Salman Taseer. The party has threateningly stated that unless the government sticks to its words and releases the report findings to the public, it will convert the rally into a sit-in.
Dr Ashraf said that Rizvi had demanded the resignation of the entire cabinet on the ground of killings of party workers, then how can he only accept the resignation of Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid.
The demands of this [KP] faction are closely aligned with the earlier sit-in of Dr Ashraf Jalali who has staged an eight-day demonstration near D-Chowk in Islamabad. However, it was not covered on media on directions of the government and PEMRA. Nevertheless, the demand was to unveil the fact-finding Raja Zafar-ul-Haq report.
The protestors had ended the protest at the behest of the government’s assurances to release it to the public within the next 20-days, though, it failed to comply with it. It is the reason why the different groups have emerged within the TLP after the controversial, apparently individual and hastily decision by TLP chief Rizvi amid the debatable intervention of the Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Read more: GHQ may save the day for Nawaz !
The rifts are based on the failure of the party leadership to take the other local leaders into confidence and apparently not sticking to the new demands after the violent crackdown that killed one and injured scores of protestors. Since, the initial demands are yet to be fulfilled by the government, despite the apparent rift between the two self-proclaimed party leaders, the threat of a new march on Islamabad remains credible.