MM News

ISLAMABAD: Mufti Muneebur Rehman on Monday claimed that the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) never demanded the expulsion of the French ambassador and the closure of the embassy.

Speaking to journalists in Karachi, the religious cleric said, “Lies were spoken on television about the talks [with the TLP], that they had demanded the expulsion of the French envoy and to break ties with the European Union. This was a blatant lie.”

“How can trust be established when government officials speak lies publicly?” he asked, adding that those who participated in the negotiations did not have personal agendas, calling the whole process a “marathon intellectual exercise”.

Giving details about the meeting, Mufti Muneeb claimed that he, Saylani Welfare Trust Chairman Maulana Bashir Farooqui, and Maulana Abid Mubarak had gone to Islamabad on Saturday to settle issues between TLP and the government.

“We wanted to settle the issue with wisdom and behind closed doors. We had asked the government to refrain from using force, as unwise use of force is akin to tyranny,” the cleric added.

He futher said the proscribed group’s leadership told him that the government had “violated” its agreement with them several times, and thus, they did not trust the Centre. “Whatever we did, we did it in the best interest of the state,” he added.

Mufti Muneeb also said the country’s “liberals” were more incensed than Pakistan’s external enemies over the government’s agreement with the TLP. He also stated that the “liberals” who were instigating the government, would be the first ones to jump ship when faced with choppy waters.

The cleric said that liberals were crying about the writ of the state, similar to what had happened during the Lal Masjid operation in 2007. “Till 12 at night they talked about the writ of the state, but when the unfortunate operation took place they opposed it,” he added.

The cleric’s comments come a day after members of the negotiating team from the government side claimed that they had reached an agreement with the proscribed group in order to end the nearly three-week-long impasse.

Mufti Muneeb, who along with some other clerics facilitated the talks, said the agreement had the backing of jailed TLP chief Saad Rizvi. Refusing to share contents of the deal, the cleric said its details would be made public at an “appropriate time”.