TLP's Faizabad sit-in: Supreme Court to announce verdict on Wednesday

Published February 4, 2019
A file photo of TLP workers carrying batons and protesting on streets.
A file photo of TLP workers carrying batons and protesting on streets.

The Supreme Court will announce on Wednesday its verdict on a suo motu notice of the 2017 Faizabad sit-in staged by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pak­is­tan (TLP).

The apex court has issued notices to the Attorney General of Pakistan, the Inspector General of Police for Islamabad, the secretary interior, the secretary defence as well as the secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The verdict is expected to be announced at 9am.

The verdict pertains to a variety of issues stemming from TLP's infamous sit-in, including its party registration, its violent protest as well as the role of government institutions and regulators in the buildup, on the day and in the aftermath of the protest.

Read: How the Faizabad protests happened

On November 22, a two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Musheer Alam had reserved its verdict in the case after dishing out severe criticism to the attorney general, media regulator and other stakeholders.

In November 2017, the TLP had held a weeks-long protest at Islamabad's Faizabad Interchange which virtually paralysed the capital and saw several people losing their lives. The court had taken suo motu notice soon after.

The protest had come to an end after the government had given in to the demands of protesters. The agreement was signed by the government and the protesters after six people were killed while hundreds were injured during a failed operation to evict them.

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