ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on Monday announced that 11 policemen, who were taken hostage in Lahore by the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have been released after negotiations carried out by the Punjab government.
In a video statement, the interior minister said the “first round of talks” concluded in a “successful manner” after which the policemen were released and the protesters had gone inside the Masjid Rehmatulil Alameen. He added that the police had also been withdrawn.
Rasheed hoped that other matters would also be sorted out in the next round, which would be held after Sehri.
The minister added that out of 192 blockades, only one was remaining and the situation was improving there as well.
“Talks have begun with the banned TLP and hopefully issues will be resolved with them,” Rasheed stated.
Attack on police station
Earlier, CM Punjab’s aide Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had said that “miscreants” armed with petrol bombs attacked the Nawankot Police Station, taking 12 policemen hostage and leaving six injured.
Sharing a statement by the Lahore police, she had said that owing to the attack, in which the attackers used petrol bombs and bottles of acid, Rangers and police personnel were trapped inside the police station.
The miscreants held the deputy superintendent of police hostage at gunpoint, along with 11 other policemen, and drove them to their markaz (comprising a mosque and madrassah) nearby.
Aside from attacking the police station and kidnapping officials, the miscreants also stole an oil tanker carrying 50,000 litres of petrol, she had said.
According to the police statement, the police pushed back the miscreants and took back possession of the police station.
“Police did not plan or conduct any operation against the mosque or madrassah. The action, if any, was in self-defence and to protect public property,” read the statement.
Awan, confirming the same, said that any action taken was in self-defence and to rescue the police officers taken hostage.