Govt, JI hold talks in Mansoorah as march to Islamabad looms

Lahore: In the Mansoorah area of Lahore, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) workers preparing for the “Haq Do Balochistan March” came face-to-face with police, while a government delegation led by senior minister Maryam Aurangzeb arrived at Mansoorah for negotiations with the party.

JI workers attempted to depart from Mansoorah for the march, prompting police intervention and a scuffle between the two sides.

Ahead of the party’s long march toward Islamabad, the Punjab government’s negotiation team visited Mansoorah for the second consecutive day. Punjab's senior minister Maryam Aurangzeb and JI's Naib Ameer Liaqat Baloch are part of the ongoing talks.

It is worth noting that the “Haq Do Balochistan March” led by JI Balochistan Ameer Maulana Hidayatur Rehman was scheduled to depart from Lahore to Islamabad the previous day. However, Lahore police sealed off Jamaat-e-Islami’s headquarters in Mansoorah, deploying dozens of officers at its main gate.

Minister Maryam Aurangzeb had also visited Mansoorah a day earlier and held negotiations with a JI delegation led by Liaqat Baloch. The government insisted the march be called off in Mansoorah, while Jamaat-e-Islami remained firm on marching toward Islamabad at all costs.