Special Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The home ministry has ordered the Faizabad Dharna Commission to vacate ministry’s office, ARY News reported. According to the notification issued by the interior secretary, the commission was given the office of parliamentary secretary in room 411 of the S-block.
However, the commission now ordered to immediately vacate the office and shift their belongings to another place.
Its important to note here that on November 8, 2017, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organised a sit-in at Faizabad against the amendments in the Election Bill 2017, changing the word oath to declaration.
The protesters demanded the resignation of the then-Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid to “protect the identity of the country”.
As a result of the protest, the then PML-N government had to sack its law minister Zahid Hamid. The Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the sit-in on November 21, 2017.
The commission in its report said that the common perception was that the sit-in was aimed at destabilising then federal government.
However, then-prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, then-Punjab chief minister – incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif maintained opposite views regarding a conspiracy against the government, the report revealed.
Zahid Hamid, who was serving as law minister in 2017 and then director general of IB Aftab Sultan had also similar views, it added.
The commission also sent a questionnaire to former ISI chief Faiz Hameed. When asked if a state institution was involved in helping stage the Faizabad sit-in, he said that there was no evidence of institutions’ role in the sit-in.
Meanwhile, the report stated that the inquiry commission faced challenges in obtaining records from the relevant departments regarding the sit-in.
The Faizabad commission also faced administrative issues including funds and acquiring office premises.
