Pro-Palestinian sit-in by Pakistani religious parties enters seventh day as talks with government continue
ISLAMABAD: A sit-in by the pro-Palestinian religious party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) entered its seventh day on Friday, with the party announcing that it was in talks with the government over its demands.
The TLP calls on the government to officially boycott Israeli products and send food and medical aid to Palestinians suffering under Israel’s relentless military campaign in Gaza, and it also calls on the Pakistani government to declare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “terrorist.”
The demand came after TLP supporters led by young leader Saad Rizvi decided to rally from Rawalpindi’s Liaqat Bagh to the Faizabad Interchange, which connects to Islamabad, last Saturday and set up a protest camp there. The party, known for its hardline stance against blasphemy laws, had earlier staged a sit-in at the main interchange, causing severe traffic disruption.
The TLP said several members of its organisation were taking part in talks with a government team comprising Information Minister Attaullah Talal, Political Advisor to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah, the Inspector General of Islamabad and the Deputy Inspector General.
“Negotiations between the TLP and the federal government are still ongoing,” the party said in a statement on Thursday night.
Israel’s war on Gaza has so far killed at least 39,000 people, many of them women and children, and the casualties have sparked outrage and protests around the world, including in Pakistan, where civil society and political forces have consistently led pro-Palestinian rallies.
Pakistan does not recognise the state of Israel and seeks the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed standards”. Since the Israeli war began in October 2023, the South Asian country has sent several aid shipments and repeatedly raised the issue at various forums, calling on the world to end Israel’s military actions in the Palestinian territories.
Large numbers of protesters gathered at Faizabad Interchange, effectively blocking the Islamabad Expressway, making it difficult for commuters to travel and causing traffic jams in the surrounding areas.
Earlier, TLP advisory board member Sajjad Saifi told Arab News that more than 50,000 supporters led by party leader Rizvi had taken to the Faizabad Interchange.
“We will continue the dharna [sit-in] Until all our three demands are fully met,” he said.
Asked why the party had decided to stage a sit-in protest now, nine months after the start of the war, Saifi said the TLP had been holding rallies across Pakistan since October last year and mobilising the people.
“Tens of thousands of our supporters were waiting for a call from our leaders to join the protests in Islamabad,” he said. “We are demonstrating for a cause, for the Palestinian people. There is no political agenda that we want to achieve through this demonstration.”
Asked about the protests and the inconvenience they are causing to people, Information Minister Talal said on Thursday: “Don’t worry, we are dealing with it.”
