The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) rightly declared another victory over the state and the society last week. While the government, represented by senior cabinet members, claimed that it had successfully defused the situation before it could get out of hand, the resolution moved in the National Assembly to discuss the expulsion of the French envoy amounted to another surrender.

The latest episode is the fourth consecutive occasion – second for this government – TLP’s unconstitutional and unlawful demands have been conceded. Earlier, the then PML-N government had faced similar humiliation in 2017. The PML-N and the PTI have both thus bowed to TLP’s demands. A similar surrender in 2009 was witnessed when the government led by the Pakistan Peoples Party bowed to the Tehreek Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Mohammadi.

Political analysts says the government should have sought greater transparency in its negotiations and dealings with the TLP. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The News on Sunday, “Negotiation with TLP leadership is an ongoing process. We want peace. We love the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) no less than the next person. We have placed the matter before the parliament. This is what the TLP wanted us to do. Some 700 TLP workers will be released by April 23. Cases against TLP workers who attacked police personnel would continue. TLP chief Hafiz Saad Rizvi wants to plead his case in a court.”

Rizvi and his associates are accused, among other crimes, of murder and terrorism. The interior minister informed TNS that “properties and accounts of the
TLP have been frozen. The TLP can challenge the
ban in a court. We cannot play any role in the ban matter”.

Analysts say the TLP will likely file an appeal the ban with the Punjab government. The case will reach the Interior Ministry for a final decision. The case may also go to the court if the TLP fails to get quick relief from the Ministry of Interior.

The Punjab police have said that four policemen lost their lives and over 600 policemen were injured over the past two weeks. “We have been alert and have registered 212 cases against TLP workers. The legal battle against TLP workers will go on,” a spokesperson for the Punjab Police said.

A National Assembly committee has been formed to take up the issue of the French ambassador’s expulsion and a re-set in ties with Europe— France in particular. The resolution moved by a PTI member seeks recommendations from all members on how to deal with the issue.

Analyst Raza Rumi says, “The government showed weak control in handling the TLP. By accepting its demands, it provided another opportunity to the TLP to garner more political space and importance than it deserves. The bizarre events triggered by the TLP protests have exposed the government’s poor handling of the situation.”

Some critics of the government have said accepting unreasonable demands of a banned organisation has weakened the government’s ability country to make strategic decisions. The way the government has dealt with the TLP, especially after the ban, raises questions about the fate of other banned organisations including the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation. The interior minister said it was premature to discuss the question.

Analyst Zahid Hussain questioned Prime Minister Imran Khan’s credibility in pledging in his address to the nation not to give in to the demands of any banned organisation. He asked, “So what happened to the government’s earlier decision of banning the group and terrorism charges against TLP leaders? Is it yet another surrender?” What happened in the country due to the TLP protests is an extremely serious issue. Zahid Hussain also said, “The state seemed to have disappeared as the followers of a radical cleric blocked highways and train tracks connecting the country’s main cities. Once again, the TLP has succeeded in bringing the administration to its knees. Saad Hussain Rizvi seems to be trying to emulate his father’s vitriolic oratory”.

Some say the decision of PTI’s government to take the TLP issue to the parliament indicated a helplessness against the hardliners. The slippery slope can have more implications for national politics. Some analysts say the banned organisation is gaining even more space since the press and political parties are divided on the issue.

The writer is A Special Investigative Correspondent with Geo Television. He tweets at @ZahidGishkori