Faizabad protest not about Khatm-e-Nabuwwat but 'Khatm-e-Hukumat', says Talal Chaudhry

The minister also hinted that there was a common enemy behind the protest and Nawaz's disqualification

Minister of State for Interior Affairs Talal Chaudhry expressed reservations on a military official being part of an agreement between the government and leader of Tehreek-e-Labaik.

"A uniformed officer should not have become part of a political agreement between the government and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) because doing so creates doubts about the impartiality of the institutions and threat of them becoming disputed creates," BBC Urdu quoted him as saying.

When asked about Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officer Major General Faiz Hameed’s signature on the agreement, Chauhdhry said it was acceptable for the purpose of ending the sit-in but its long-term impact on institutions will "not be good."



"You have to surrender sometimes, and on others you need to have a dialogue with the party, in such cases presence of uniformed persons can trigger speculations on the impartiality of the institutions," Chaudhry said in an interview.

He also added that all uniformed institutions - regardless of the color of it - should remain impartial and avoid conflicts. "Only then can they work efficiently."

"In political issues - or wherever there is a risk of their becoming disputed - they [uniformed personnel] should act according to law. When a role is played other than the legal requirement, there is a threat of dispute and conflict," the PML-N leader said.

"Their sit-in had the same purpose as Nawaz Sharif's disqualification campaign," Chaudhry replied when asked about the aims and purpose of the sit-in staged by TLYRA.

He suggested that the sit-in aimed to pressurize the government to hold early elections and reduce PML-N's popularity.

"The next part of the plan is to create hatred for PML-N among the voters from Barelvi school of thought. But this move also will fail," he added.



The minister also hinted that he thought there was a common enemy behind the protest, "The same thought process is behind the sit-in which was behind Nawaz Sharif's disqualification. They want a leader who is not a 'real' leader. These are people who think if a 'real' leader becomes prime minister, their willfulness on internal security and foreign policy will not be successful."

He said, however, this move will also fail as people have become more aware because of the media. "People can assess that those who use abusive language, cannot be religious leaders," Chaudhry said.

"They claim they follow the Barelvi school of thought but people know their reality. They know that it was not a matter of Khatam-e-Nabuwwat but a matter of Khatam-e-Hukumat.