Protest is TLP’s democratic right: Fazl

ISLAMABAD: JUI-F chief and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday said that regardless of the debate whether the TLP’s demands are justified or not, it is their democratic right to record their protest.

“I call upon the government to resolve the issue in a democratic and decent way,” he said. He said how the demonstrations of the same organisation against the Nawaz Sharif government were legal and their protest against Imran Khan was illegal.

“The government is labeling the TLP as a terrorist and extremist party because it is a religious party,” he said. Fazl reminded the government that it was Imran Khan who staged a 126-day sit-in at D-Chowk of Islamabad and is now denying this democratic right to the TLP activists. He said that according to reports, 10 to 12 people were martyred in Lahore while several injured near Sadhuki on Wednesday.

He said that local governments elected under a government which came to power through rigged elections are not acceptable. Addressing a press conference here, he said why the local government elections are going to be held when the Election Commission of Pakistan is saying that it is verifying voter lists.

“It means the election commission has admitted that there is something wrong in voter lists,” he said. To a question, he said they are considering boycotting local government elections, saying that they demand fresh general elections in the country.