12-member committee formed to negotiate between govt, banned organisation: Qadri

Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said Saturday a 12-member committee has been formed to play the negotiator's role between the government and the proscribed banned organisation.

Speaking to the media after attending a meeting of the state officials and religious scholars belonging to the Barelvi school of thought — with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair — Qadri said that the committee is in talks with the government as well as the leaders of the proscribed organisation.

The federal minister said religious leaders from across the country met the prime minister and expressed the resolve to wrap up the matter peacefully.

Qadri said the premier told the meeting's participants that the incumbent government has always welcomed meaningful and serious talks.

The prime minister also told the ulema that their suggestions, which might save the country from bloodshed, will also be considered, the federal minister said.

"The 12-member committee is in talks with the banned organisation leadership, and we hope they can move forward [in their negotiations with the proscribed political party]," he said.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of ulema had reached the prime minister's personal residence at Bani Gala late Saturday afternoon, the report had said.

For his part, President Sunni Ittehad Council (Faisalabad) Sahibzada Hamid Raza said the prime minister had assured the meeting's participants that the government would not use "torture" to curtail the protests.

Raza said the prime minister told the meeting that he did not wish to see bloodshed in the country, but noted that there would be "no compromise when it came to the writ of the state."

"We urge the protesters to not resort to violence  as negotiations are underway in different parts of the country," the SIC president said.

When asked whether the protest was a constitutional right, Raza said that the protesters should remain where there and not move forward as it might sabotage the negotiations.

"Wait a little more since you have already waited this long," he told the protesters.

Raza refused to go into details about the negotiations, as he said that it might lead to confusion.

Roads remained blocked and traffic suspended in Wazirabad on Saturday as banned organisation protestors intending to march on Islamabad encamped near the city for a second straight day.

Outside Wazirabad, security forces have dug trenches and placed barricades on the roads in an attempt to contain the mob near a crossing over the Chenab.

All roads between Wazirabad-Sialkot and Wazirabad-Gujranwala have been sealed by government authorities to cut off the mob's advance.

Train and internet services remain suspended in Gujranwala; however, life is inching back to normalcy in the city.

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