Operation against religious parties’ sit-in postponed for 24 hours

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – As the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) deadline to dislodge the religious parties’ sit-in at Faizabad Interchange ended, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has on Saturday directed the district administration to postpone operation for another 24 hours. The protesters remained put as the deadline to vacate the vital junction ended. The minister said that the following the court orders is the legal requirement, adding that they held dialogues with the protesters last night but the progress couldn’t be made in this regard yet. The Minister said the government wants to end the sit-in peacefully through dialogue. He said the parliament has already made finality of Prophet-hood law foolproof and there is no ambiguity and shortcoming in it. On the other hand, Moulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi said that they will continue to stage sit-in until their demands are met, adding that they were not going anywhere and the government should not be in any misconception. Meanwhile, the Islamabad-Rawalpindi administration has sealed the entry and exit routes of Faizabad Interchange leaving the citizens in trouble. Law-enforcers, equipped in riot gear, were present near the site of the sit-in but had not taken any action as the hour given by the district administration to disperse passed. All hospitals in the twin cities were put on high alert and the leaves of doctors and paramedical staffs have been cancelled. Residents of the area have also been directed to stay in houses and avoid inter-city movement. On Friday, the IHC had ordered the district administration to dislodge the sit-in of religious parties at Faizabad Interchange. The IHC judge Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui took notice of the non-implementation of its earlier orders to the religious parties of dislodging of the sit-in. He directed the district administration to remove protesters from the main route until tomorrow (Saturday) morning. The religious parties have been staging the sit-in against a change in the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat affidavit for the last 11 days. Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi had demanded to expose those responsible for a change in the affidavit. The court summoned the Islamabad police chief, chief commissioner and an interior ministry official in person at the next hearing and adjourned the case until November 29.