Operation underway to break up sit-in at Islamabad's Faizabad Interchange; 150 arrested
https://www.dawn.com/news/1372614/s...-up-sit-in-at-islamabads-faizabad-interchange
Islamabad police, with the help of Frontier Corps personnel and other law enforcement agencies, have launched a crackdown against protesters camped out at the Faizabad Interchange since November 8.
The crackdown was launched after the last of a long series of deadlines lapsed on Saturday morning without response from the agitating parties.
Roughly 8,500 elite police and paramilitary troops in riot gear are taking part in the clearance operation, which was launched soon after the final deadline of 7am given to protesters expired.
What we know so far:
8,500 security personnel are involved
Police have dispersed nearly 50pc of protesters
At least 150 protesters have been arrested
Security personnel have uprooted tents, destroyed protesters' belongings as they advance
Law enforcement personnel have encircled the area and are using teargas and rubber bullets to disperse agitators. In response, the protesters have been using stones and rocks to attack the advancing security forces.
A security official prepares to fire tear gas shell.— DawnNews
A security official prepares to fire tear gas shell.— DawnNews
As of 11am, nearly all protesters camped out on the I.J. Principal Road near the Faizabad Interchange have been dispersed; however, sporadic shelling is ongoing against protesters on Rawalpindi's Murree Road.
Protesters at Faizabad have retreated in the face of police action. Security personnel have advanced at least one kilometre behind the protesters' picket lines, DawnNews has reported.
At least 150 protesters have been arrested from the area, according to initial reports. Around 30 injuries have also been reported. These numbers are fluid and are expected to rise as more reports stream in.
Security officials not wearing masks can be seen affected by the tear gas.— DawnNews
Security officials not wearing masks can be seen affected by the tear gas.— DawnNews
Authorities have also been conducting aerial surveillance of the operation from helicopters.
“We will clear the Faizabad area today in line with the court's orders,” a senior police officer told APP, adding that: “We will try our best to make sure there is no fatality.”
Meanwhile, loudspeakers are also being used to rally the protesters, who have climbed nearby plazas.
Ejaz Ashrafi, a spokesman of Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah, the main agitating party, told Reuters that: “We are in the thousands. We will not leave. We will fight until the end.”
The protesters have allegedly looted two police vehicles and two police vans have been set on fire in Rawalpindi. The Metro bus station on Sixth Road has been damaged.
According to DawnNews, the protesters appeared to have prepared for the crackdown. Some had armed themselves with catapults and sticks. Some were wearing crude masks to prevent identification.
Within two hours of the operation starting, however, security forces had successfully dispersed nearly half of those gathered.
Thick smoke could be seen in the area soon after the crackdown was launched, mostly due to heavy teargas shelling.
The tactic did not seem to be having the intended effect, however: initially, security forces themselves could be seen retreating after struggling with the fumes.
Police close in on protest leaders
The Islamabad administration has asked Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi to surrender, but he has refused so far.
A live video streamed on Facebook by one of his supporters at 9am showed him leading the sloganeering from a raised platform, surrounded by men armed with sticks.
The unrest in the capital has spilled over in Karachi, as protesters loyal to the same religious parties have started a demonstration against the operation at the Numaish traffic intersection in the city's busy Saddar area.
The protesters have blocked nearby roads.
The situation in Karachi has not flared up so far, as police are standing alert in the area. Important government buildings have also been secured.
Meanwhile, demonstrators have also converged at Shahdara in Lahore.
There are reports of similar protests at Imamia Colony and other settlements along the GT Road. Roads from Lahore to Gujranwala and Faisalabad have also been closed.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
Recapping the crisis
The agitators believe that a sworn oath affirming a politician's belief in the finality of prophethood (Khatm-i-Nabuwwat) was deliberately modified as part of a larger conspiracy during the passage of the Elections Act, 2017.
The amendment was deemed a 'clerical error' by the government and has already been rectified through an Act of Parliament.
Nonetheless, the protesters had been insistent on the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid for his alleged role in the controversy.
There is no proof yet that indicates Hamid was responsible for the amendment. A committee headed by Raja Zafarul Haq has been probing the issue.
The Islamabad High Court, the Supreme Court and the heads of various religious parties had repeatedly called for the protesters to disband, calling the protest unlawful.
The Islamabad High Court had said the protest's leaders had, prima facie, committed an 'act of terror' by continuing their process.
The interior minister was warned of contempt of court by the IHC for not evicting the protesters.
The government initiated several rounds of negotiations with the protesters, but failed each time.
The religious hardliners camped out at Faizabad had been unrelenting on their demand for the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid over his alleged role in the amendment of the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath in the Elections Act 2017, which is apparently what led to the breakdown in the negotiation process.
The Elections Act 2017 — which paved the way for Nawaz Sharif to return as PML-N president — had become a cause of controversy when it was revealed that an oath regarding the finality of prophethood had been modified to a 'declaration' somewhere during the process of its passage. The government had claimed that the modification was the result of a clerical mistake.
The amendment in the oath which caused the controversy has already been reversed by parliament.
The Islamabad protesters belong to various religious parties, including the Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (ST).
Deployment of LEAs
Security deployment in the capital had been beefed up since October 24, when the Ashraf Jalali faction of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah descended on the city and staged a sit-in in the Blue Area, which had ended on Nov 3.
According to media reports, the number of personnel deployed around the sit-in varies as per the situation. On average, a shift consists of 3,000-7,000 personnel.
Police also impounded over 200 containers to control access to the city as part of security measures. Five cranes and 10 trailers were also hired to move the containers around, while 19 water tankers – 15 of which were meant to refill water cannons and four to supply drinking water to on-duty personnel, had also been requisitioned.
Another 40 vehicles, including buses and wagons, had been engaged to transport personnel from their accommodations to the duty spot around the Faizabad.
Over the more than two-week-long sit-in, several cases had been filed against the protesters and the organisers of the sit-in. One of these included a murder case.
The protesters were also accused of beating up two photojournalists and several others during their sit-in.
Police had arrested around 150 participants over the course of the protests. The arrests had been made during clashes between law enforcement agencies and protesters, which broke out sporadically over the 17-day showdown between the state and religious hardliners.
Timeline
On November 5, the capital administration had warned TLY and ST against taking any rally to Islamabad, saying a ban on public gatherings had already been imposed in the city.
The parties were also informed that Parade Ground had been reserved for such gatherings and holding a rally somewhere else in the capital would be unlawful. The organisers had not sought any permission for the rally or the sit-in.
On November 8, the protesters blocked the expressway that connects Islamabad with Rawalpindi. Since then, the metro service has also been halted. According to the Metro Bus Authority (MBA), more than 100,000 people used the service between the twin cities daily.
On November 9, Islamabad police registered a First Investigation Report (FIR) against TLY leader Khadim Rizvi in a case pertaining to the death of an infant. The infant's family had not been able to reach the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) because of roadblocks put in place due to the joint rally of the TLY and ST. Police had registered an FIR against Rizvi and other participants of the protest under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with qatl-bis-sabab (unintentional murder).
On November 10, Islamabad police lodged two more cases against Khadim Hussain Rizvi. Pir Aijaz Afzal and other leaders and participants of the Islamabad protest sit-in were nominated in the two FIRs.
A private TV channel had nominated the protesting leaders in a case pertaining to violence against its crew. According to the FIR, the media team was attacked, tortured, threatened and their vehicles were also smashed. The protesters had also snatched their cameras, the complaint stated. The second case was lodged on the complaint of Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio for the violation of Section 144 by the protesters, along with other charges. Both the cases were registered at the I9 Police Station.
On November 12, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal had said the government would use all possible means to persuade the religious groups holding a sit-in at Faizabad to shift to Parade Avenue or any other place.
“Otherwise we will have no option but to go for the administrative solution as the government cannot allow any group to restrict the fundamental rights of the citizens. However, the protesters want a dead body or ‘shaheed’ [martyr] to achieve their goal,” he had said while talking to Dawn.
On November 15, the protesting clerics had approached the judiciary and petitioned in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the “execution” of their demands. In its petition submitted in the IHC, TLY demanded: “It is humbly prayed that this Hon’ble Court while allowing the writ petition, direct the federal government, represented by the respondents to publish and publicize the inquiry report submitted by Raja Zafarul Haq, and the culprits so determined therein, may very kindly be proceed against under the relevant laws.”
On November 16, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had directed TLY to call off its sit-in. Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui issued the direction while hearing the petition filed by the religious group. Justice Siddiqui directed the protesting clerics to immediately vacate the interchange and show respect for the law while he heard the case.
On November 17, the government had issued "a last warning" to the protest's organisers, asking them to vacate the venue. However, the government failed to launch an operation or to get the venue vacated. The government then ordered the district administration to take all necessary steps to clear the area latest by the next morning. All hospitals in the city were ordered to cancel doctors and paramedical staff's leaves and ask them to be present on duty till further instructions.
One thousand personnel were requested from the Punjab Rangers "to perform duty along with police". Nothing happened.
On November 18, religious scholar and Chairman of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Mufti Muneebur Rehman urged both the government and protesters to find a solution to the issue, "as a prolonged protest could turn into a major crisis for both sides." However, the appeals of Rehman and several other leaders were not heeded.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal also expressed hope that the face-off between religious activists and security personnel at Faizabad Interchange would end within a day. It did not.
On November 20, the government scrambled to secure the support of religious leaders and ulema from across the political spectrum in a bid to negotiate a peaceful end to the sit-in. However, a meeting between representatives of the protesters and government ministers held at Punjab House was unable to make any breakthrough.
On November 21, the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the sit-in.
On November 22, the Pakistan Army’s spokesperson addressed the issue and said the military would abide by the government’s decision on the matter.
In remarks released to the media, Inter-Services Public Relations chief Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said that while it would be preferable to address the situation through peaceful means, the military would abide by whatever decision the government took.
Saying that the civil and military leaderships were on the same page when it came to the country’s security, he said that the army was duty-bound to carry out the government’s instructions.
On November 23, the head of a committee tasked by the government to come up with an amicable solution to the lingering sit-in submitted his recommendations to the concerned authorities. However, a representative of the committee complained that the government was delaying its implementation.
Sources said that the committee had offered the government the same suggestions that had already been presented by the government to leaders of TLY. The government had offered to change the portfolio of the law minister, or send him on leave. However, both suggestions were turned down by the sit-in’s leaders.
According to sources, the committee had stated that the law minster should be considered innocent until proven guilty. All sides would accept the report of a Raja Zafarul Haq-led committee probing the matter and that further action would be taken once the report’s findings and recommendations are finalised, it suggested.
On November 24, the IHC issued a show-cause notice for contempt of court to Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal over his failure to take steps ordered by the court to end the sit-in. Islamabad's district administration subsequently issued another "final warning" to protesters. Acting on its orders, and after sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, law enforcers deployed around the sit-in confiscated food meant for the participants of the sit-in. Lights around the venue had already been turned off before the crackdown.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1372614/s...-up-sit-in-at-islamabads-faizabad-interchange
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