LHC rejects plea for compensation.

Byline: Shahzad Ahmad

LAHORE -- The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday dismissed as non-maintainable a petition seeking compensation for the damage done to public and private property by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) followers during protests against acquittal of Christian woman Aasia Bibi by the Supreme Court in a blasphemy case on October 31.

Justice Aatir Mehmood heard the case. Asia Bibi had been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges in 2010. The petitioner stated that TLP protesters caused a considerable damage to public and private property. He said that protection of lives and properties of people was the first responsibility of the government. He said that failure to fulfil this responsibility would be tantamount to violation of people's fundamental rights. He asked the court to direct the Punjab government to compensate the people whose properties were damaged during countrywide protests.

Protests involving thousands of demonstrators demanding that Aasia be hanged, spearheaded by the TLP, erupted moments after the Supreme Court overturned her conviction on Wednesday. The protesters forced shutdown and roadblocks and damaged public property.

Late on Friday, the PTI government reached a deal with TLP and other groups to end protests with 'various levels' of success.

On Sunday, the government launched a crackdown on the violent protesters and started making arrests.

A delegation led by TLP Nazim-e-Aala Waheed Noor held a meeting with the government team at Civil Secretariat late on Monday. They raised concerns over countrywide crackdown.

As per insiders, the government stuck to its guns over the ongoing crackdown on protesters showed ransacking public property and damaging public vehicles and motorcycles.

The government team, consisting of Punjab Law...