GT Road cleared after TLP workers move to open ground

A day after reaching an agreement with the government to end the march towards Islamabad, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on Monday cleared the GT Road and moved their sit-in to a nearby open ground, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said.

Khan, who is the head of the steering committee overseeing the implementation of the accord with the outfit, shared the development in a tweet. He "appreciated" the TLP leadership for "honouring their commitment".

According to the federal minister, the government was also implementing its side of the agreement signed yesterday. The development came after second meeting of the steering committee was held in Lahore.

Read Police under fire over ‘failure’ to stop TLP march

Meanwhile, reports said that the TLP workers would remain in Wazirabad till the release of their chief Saad Rizvi, who has been in jail since April.

The internet services and traffic flow remained disrupted in the vicinity of GT Road where police and Punjab Rangers contingents were deployed to contain the protesters.

On Sunday, an agreement was reached between the TLP and the government to end the protest. Mufti Muneeb, who mediated between the government and the TLP, had termed the accord a "victory for Islam and Pakistan".

“This agreement is neither a victory nor a defeat of any side. This is a victory for Pakistan, Islam, and the sanctity of human lives. It was reached after sense prevailed over aggression," he had added.

“The delegations held a 12-hour-long meeting to settle the matter between the two sides successfully. It is fortunate that the agreement was reached before the situation got out of hand.”