11 police officers taken hostage by TLP have been released, says interior minister

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed said Sunday that the government has released the 11 police officers that were held hostage by the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

He said after the first round of talks, the outfit has released the cops held hostage, adding that the TLP workers had withdrawn and gone into the Masjid Rehmatulil Alameen.

The minister said in the second round of talks, that are to be held on Monday after Sehri, will also resolve other outstanding issues between the government and the party.

“We place hope in God that our outstanding issues with TLP are resolved [after the second round of talks],” he said.

نیوز اپڈیٹ
اسلام آباد: 19 اپریل
وفاقی وزیر داخلہ شیخ رشید احمد کا اہم ویڈیو پیغام جاری pic.twitter.com/kvXqVjWP9U

— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) April 18, 2021

Attack on police station

Earlier, CM Punjab’s aide Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had said that “miscreants” armed with petrol bombs attacked the Nawankot Police Station, taking 12 policemen hostage and leaving six injured.

Sharing a statement by the Lahore police, she had said that owing to the attack, in which the attackers used petrol bombs and bottles of acid, Rangers and police personnel were trapped inside the police station.

The miscreants held the deputy superintendent of police hostage at gunpoint, along with 11 other policemen, and drove them to their markaz (comprising a mosque and madrassah) nearby.

Aside from attacking the police station and kidnapping officials, the miscreants also stole an oil tanker carrying 50,000 litres of petrol, she had said.

According to the police statement, the police pushed back the miscreants and took back possession of the police station.

“Police did not plan or conduct any operation against the mosque or madrassah. The action, if any, was in self-defence and to protect public property,” read the statement.