The TLP mess
Deal with TLP leaves too many questions
The government has reached an agreement with the Tehrik Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) that has caused it to abandon its week-long shutdown of the country and its projected march on Islamabad, even though Tuesday’s rioting saw an incident near Sadoke in Gujrqanwala, in which four policemen were killed, supposedly from the blows rained upon them by rioters. or has an agreement been reached? Not that an agreement has not been reached, but this is hardly the first time. There are two reasons why it seems that even the government does not believe it has done more than buy a little time. First, it has not conceded one of the key demands of the protesters, that the French Ambassador be expelled. It has merely got the TLP to kick that particular can of worms down the road. Second, it has called out the Rangers to deal with the situation.
At the heart of this issue is the government’s inability to keep its promises. even if hedged around with conditions, it has promised to do something it cannot, expel the Ambassador. France is one of the giants of the european Union, and expelling its ambassador would jeopardize relations with the entire eu, not just France. This is unthinkable for a country which hopes to have its exports’ GSP+ status renewed. yet the government has not told the TLP that it will not expel anyone, though it has decided it will not do so. It could expel him, but it is not willing to face the consequences. yet it does not want the consequences of a refusal, which would attract the disapproval of all those who support the TLP’S stance against blasphemy.
The government does not know how to deal with the TLP. The Cabinet decision to stop treating it as a political party, but as a militant organisation, indicates the same double-mindedness while it is unable to stop the protesters from marching towards the capital. Though the parliamentary route, that of creating a consensus in Parliament on what action to take is available, the government came a cropper earlier in the year when it tried to do so, but that might require it to do something it has not been able to do so far with the opposition, something it managed to do with the TLP: reach an agreement.