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Pakistan to allow banned Islamic group TLP to contest elections

Pakistan to allow banned Islamic group TLP to contest elections

Imran Khan

Pakistan is taking steps to allow Tehrik-e-Labaik, a banned Islamic group to contest elections. As per negotiators on both sides, Pakistan government will also free more than 2000 jailed activists of the group.

In return, the Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan has agreed to shun the politics of violence and withdraw its longstanding demand to have France`s ambassador expelled over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad by a French satirical magazine, they told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

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The caricatures have triggered repeated demonstrations by the group to protest at what it considers blasphemy.
Prime Minister Imran Khan`s government banned the TLP after its protests turned violent earlier this year, designated it a terrorist group and arrested its chief Saad Rizvi.

Although neither sides gave details, the government and TLP said that an agreement had been reached to help end clashes.

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Two members of the TLP`s negotiating team and one from the government side told Reuters the centrepiece of the deal was to lift the ban and allow the group to contest elections.

"The state has acknowledged that the TLP is neither a terrorist group nor a banned outfit," another member of the TLP negotiation team, Bashir Farooqi, separately told local Dunya News TV.

In addition, the government has agreed not to contest the release of the group`s jailed leader as well as nearly 2,300 activists and to remove their names from a terrorist watch list, the three negotiators told Reuters.

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Punjab province Law Minister Raja Basharat said nearly 1,000 of the activists had already been released.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry did not respond to a request for comment.

The settlement came after seven police officers were killed and hundreds more were wounded as they confronted thousands of TLP demonstrators marching up Pakistan`s busiest highway from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital Islamabad.

(With inputs from agencies)