Fawad denies Vawda's claim about PM being 'unaware' of agreement with proscribed outfit

• Says "whatever agreements are signed by the government are signed with the prime minister's approval".
• Says only Vawda would know why he assumed PM Imran Khan is unaware about agreement.
• Says "Vawda is not a part of the cabinet" so he might be unaware of the matter.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has denied a statement by PTI Senator Faisal Vawda where he said Prime Minister Iman Khan was unaware of an agreement signed between the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and the government. 

“Every agreement is signed with the approval of the prime minister,” the minister for information said while talking to a private news channel.

Chaudhry added that he did not know why the senator had made such a statement.

On Wednesday, Vawda had told a news talk show that Prime Minister Imran Khan was not informed of an agreement signed between the government and the proscribed TLP in November 2020.

Under that deal, which was signed by the then Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, the government had agreed to four points with the TLP, including expelling the French ambassador after taking the matter up in parliament, and downgrading ties with France.

“Of course, he [the prime minister] did not know [about the November agreement],” Senator Vawda had told the news channel, “The ministers later informed him, after the agreement.”

Disagreeing with the senator's claims, the minister for information added that Vawda “is not part of the cabinet" so he might be unclear on the matter.

Also on Wednesday, Vawda had tweeted that "force is not the solution to any conflict".

"An immediate solution to this problem can be found by inviting the imam of the Holy Ka'aba and the trustee of the Holy Shrine of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and later all Muslim countries can come together to find a permanent solution to [such issues]," Vawda wrote.

However, the tweet was later deleted. 

'Govt will abide by agreement signed with proscribed organisation': Rasheed

On the other hand, Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad earlier, had said in response to a question that the government had signed an agreement with the proscribed organisation and will abide by it.

He said the government tried holding talks with the TLP and kept its word, but "the TLP broke its promises."

"The government has to establish its writ as it is not happy about the loss of human lives," he had said.

The minister added that since the ambassador of France is not present in Pakistan, the proscribed organisation seems to have "another agenda" — as one of their demands from the government was the expulsion of the said envoy.

"The TLP has turned into a militant organisation as its members had opened fire on policemen using Kalashnikovs, leading to the martyrdom of four policemen."

"I am still warning protesters to return home," Rasheed said, adding that the government cannot keep schools and hospitals closed due to the protests.