Govt running out of patience, operation against protesters will be last option: Ahsan Iqbal
The minister urged that the government wants a peaceful solution of Faizabad sit-in.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said on Sunday that the government can never compromise over the matter of Khatam-e-Nabuwwat.
Speaking at a press conference, the minister urged that the government wants a peaceful solution of Faizabad sit-in.
He however; maintained that they are now running out of patience as the protesters are not willing to call off their sit-in on any condition.
Iqbal said operation against the protesters will be the last option but can be initiated any time in the future.
He told that information exist that some evil persons are present in the sit-in with the intention of worsening the situation but the government does not want them to be successful.
“The protesters want the resignation of the law minister but he cannot be asked to resign as no solid evidence is present against him,” he reiterated.
Activists of religious groups continue to stage sit-in at Faizabad on 12th day as a deadlock in the negotiations with the government continues to persist.
The deadline provided by the government and IHC to protesters to end their sit-in has also expired whereas the fourth round of talks held last night also ended in futility.
The protesting bodies have vowed to continue the sit-in protest until law minister Zahid Hamid tenders his resignation for a ‘clerical mistake’ in amendment that was brought to Elections Act 2017.
In the then revised form-A of nomination papers, the words “I solemnly swear” were replaced with “I believe” and the clause relating to Khatm-i-Naboowat was made applicable to non-Muslim candidates.
However, the change was branded a clerical mistake by National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and the government had vowed immediate rectification of the alleged mistake.
The Senate, earlier this week, approved reversal of the changes made earlier.
Nonetheless, the protesters who camped in the outskirts of Islamabad and at Faizabad M2 interchange late October are adamant for the law minister to resign.
