Policemen Feel 'Betrayed', 'Demotivated' After Govt's Agreement With Banned TLP

Policemen Feel 'Betrayed', 'Demotivated' After Govt's Agreement With Banned TLP
Policemen across the country feel betrayed after the government held negotiations with the recently proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and accepted its demands despite the workers of the extremist group having 'killed, tortured and humiliated' policemen.

Arab News reported that the policemen are demotivated following the way the government 'disgraced' them by accepting demands of a group whose supporters took law into their own hands and practiced violence against policemen.

A police official was quoted as saying that the policemen don't have answers to the questions their staff asks them. "We don't know how to motivate them after this disgrace," he reportedly said, adding that the police force no longer sees any point in carrying on with their duties 'after what has been done to us'.

Six policemen lost their lives and more than 800 sustained injuries in riots by the TLP that began on April 12 to protest the detention of the group's chief Saad Rizvi.

Almost a week after the violent protests, the government signed an agreement with the protesting group. The demands of the group included expulsion of French ambassador from Pakistan. The government agreed to table a resolution in the parliament to debate the matter of the envoy's expulsion after which the National Assembly session was summoned. The NA session had recited fateha for TLP workers killed in clashes with the police, but no such prayer was offered for the policemen who were killed in the riots.