Govt agreement with TLP can be made public in 10 days: Maulana Bashir Farooqui

• Government pact with TLP can be made public after 10 days, says Maulana Bashir.
• Govt-TLP steering committee talks to implement accord remain inconclusive, says news report.
• TLP spokesman tells media government has decided to release 1,300 TLP workers arrested in last 15 days.

ISLAMABAD: The government's agreement with proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) cannot be made public before the 10th day of the deal even though it has nothing against national interest, says Saylani Welfare Trust Chairman Maulana Bashir Farooqui.

News of the agreement between the government and TLP was announced Sunday in a press conference held by officials from the PTI government's negotiating team.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser were present on behalf of the government at the press conference, while Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman was also present. Rehman had started the news conference held in Islamabad, saying talks with the banned TLP had been "successful" and that an "agreement" had been reached.

Details of the agreement, however, he had said will be revealed at a "suitable time". He had added that the positive outcomes of the agreement will be seen in the coming days.

Speaking to a private TV channel, meanwhile, Farooqui, according to a report in The News, said other signatories of the agreement included the NA speaker, FM Qureshi and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan and members of the TLP shura.

Govt-TLP make no headway on how to implement agreement

A steering committee, made by Prime Minister Imran Khan to figure out the modalities of the implementation on the agreement between the government and TLP, meanwhile, held two rounds of talks Monday, but remained unable to chalk out a roadmap to carry out the agreement, kept secret so far, The News reported.

A TLP spokesman, however, told the media the government has decided to release 1,300 TLP workers, who were arrested in the last 15 days. He did not share a timeline on the release of the workers, but said the cases against them will be withdrawn soon.

The next [steering committee] meeting, he said, will be held within a couple of days to discuss the procedure of withdrawal of cases against the workers.

None of the government ministers in the steering committee were available for comments since they had switched off their mobile phones, the publication reported.

The committee meeting was chaired by federal minister Ali Mohammad Khan, while Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat, secretaries of the federal interior ministry, Punjab home department's additional chief secretary, other officials and TLP members attended it.