Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Thursday that the government’s job is to ensure the implementation of law but in the case of Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan the state had to retreat.

Chaudhry was speaking at the launch of ‘Charter of Peace,’ organised by Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies. “People think that the remedial step taken by the government are not enough but the truth is that neither the government nor the state are ready to fight extremism,” he said.

“The state’s job us to ensure rule of law but in the case of TLP it had to retreat,” added Chaudhry. Everyone has the right to express their beliefs but they don’t have the right to enforce it on others.

The TLP had arranged protests and blocked many parts of the country which turned violent and claimed the lives of police officers.

These remarks were made by the minister the same day TLP chief Saad Rizvi was released from jail. The federal cabinet revoked its decision of declaring TLP a “proscribed” organisation under Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (ATA). Rizvi’s name was also taken off the Fourth Schedule list by the Punjab government.

The minister also said, “We face no danger from the US, India and Europe. The biggest danger we face today is from within.” He declared that the root cause of extremism are schools and colleges not madrassahs.

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