ISLAMABAD – A report submitted by Ministry of Defence in the Islamabad HighCourt (IHC) has rejected the notion that Pakistan’s premiere spy agency –Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – was involved in orchestrating andsustaining the Faizabad protest.
The ministry made public the report regarding the sit-in and subsequentoperation last year against Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLYR) protesters at Faizabadinterchange that aggravated the controversy surrounding amendments to theElection Act which triggered the protests.
The report suggests that, in fact, ISI made every effort to support thegovernment in a peaceful resolution of the issue.
The report details that the fake stories about the intelligence agency werecreated and spread by social media users, and were given credence by ‘thosein influential positions’ who made irresponsible remarks regarding theseconspiracy theories.
However, the report does not clarify the ambiguity created by thiscarefully worded conclusion, and no names are provided to support the claim.
According to the findings of the defence ministry, the operation againstthe participants of the sit-in was a result of a lack of coordinationbetween members of Rawalpindi and Islamabad police, who did not have aunified chain of command and were ‘poorly equipped’ to deal with rioters.
In another damning indictment, the report claimed that the ‘rhetoric ofpolitical leadership’ was responsible for the controversy surroundingamendments to the Election Act.
The reports adds that the federal government and the TYLR did not formallyengage with each other, although both parties wanted to probe and actagainst those who were responsible for changes to the Election Act.
The Ministry of Defence highlighted that the fallout of the failedoperation, wherein all major cities and vital communication arteries wereblocked and government officials were being attacked, played a major rolein determining the terms of the eventual agreement between the protestorsand the state.
The report also recommended that the court summon the leaders of the sit-into explain the manner in which they acted and spoke during the wholeepisode.
Pakistanis faced one of the worst ever situation on roads due to massiveprotests by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a religio-political partywhich gained prominence with a violent Faizabad sit-in on November 6, lastyear.