IN line with the observations of the Supreme Court on the Faizabad Inquiry Commission report, the Federal Government has termed the probe findings into the 2017 sit-in unsatisfactory and inconsistent with the terms of references (ToRs). Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan presented the report before the Federal Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Tuesday and the cabinet ordered the formation of a special committee that will present its recommendations on the matter.
There can be no two opinions that the ‘dharna’ politics was aimed at destabilizing the governments of the time and these pressure tactics also caused immense problems for the general public. Apart from Faizabad sit-in, which has become a topic of hot discussions due to the interest shown by the top court, the PTI sit-in before the Parliament House in Islamabad turned violent and efforts were made to forcibly occupy important buildings, power houses and symbols of the state like the Parliament House itself, PM House and PTV Headquarters. In fact, some long marches and sit-ins were black spots on our history as these hindered smooth functioning of the government and economic activities and serious questions arise about their funding and meticulous logistics. There is definitely a need to go deep into different aspects of these sit-ins and marches so as to prevent their recurrence in future. There should be clear terms of reference for such probes and these should be carried out by persons of integrity.
