LAHORE: Weeks of stalemate ended with Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi calling off protest after meeting Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Sargodha on Thursday.
According to sources, Shehbaz Sharif had agreed to form a committee to look into Pir Sialvi’s demands. Pir Sialvi will also be part of the committee. After the meeting, the CM talked to the media persons along with Pir Sialvi and said that agitation movement had been scrapped by Sialvi sahib upon his request.
Pir Sialvi had threatened the Punjab government earlier this month to enforce the Islamic Sharia within a week or else be ready to face a province-wide protest, which he claimed would bring life to a halt.
The spiritual leader vowed to continue the movement of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, or the finality of prophethood, till his last breath.
Sialvi had also been demanding resignation of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah over his remarks on the Ahmadia community in a televised show.
After three successive deadlines to the Punjab government to clarify its stance over Sanaullah’s comments, the Astana-e-Aalia had announced in December last year that it would not support the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the upcoming general election and its followers would resign from the government. Two MNAs and three MPAs in Punjab have already resigned since then.
Published in Daily Times, January 26th 2018.
