A concrete course of action post the lockdown of the country and the agreement between the government and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is the need of the time right now. The agreement between both parties provided a silver lining despite the difficult stretch that the country endured. The bone of contention at this point is the penalisation of those who vandalised public property and there is pictorial and video evidence against them.
The risk of another lockdown is bound to affect the country because it not only affects the economy but also limits people to their own houses even in cases of emergency. Many travelers also had to face violence with no one to reimburse for the amount of damage done and the lack of security provided in the situation. There are confusions in the stance of the ruling party itself because the Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry stated in the National Assembly (NA) that a thorough plan is being manufactured which will entail curtailing such groups from promoting terror and will also reduce their influence without having to use the state machinery to push them back. This is in contradiction to the party statements which, at this point, are highlighting the arrests of those who have damaged public property.
Vandalising public property after calls of a peaceful protest is a crime and one of an extreme nature because the common man has to suffer due to the outrage of those out on the streets. As legally sound as it may be, TLP is not ready to accept the sentence of their protestors and have threatened another round of lockdowns if any action is taken against their people. In such a scenario the government must clarify its own stance and showcase the next course of action, which not only has the public on board but is also legally sound to ensure no backlash from the parties involved.
TLP has already shown its mettle by bringing the country to a halt and making them reconsider the verdict of the highest court in the country. If another lockdown is orchestrated, the government’s involvement will be inevitable especially in cases where the security of the common man is under question. To avoid such circumstances, the government needs to decide whether it will abide by the clauses of the legislature, or will it abide by the agreement because the lack of action in another lockdown will not sit well with the masses who chose to see a silver lining in the agreement.