ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said the time for negotiating with anti-blasphemy protesters is over.
Since last week, hard-line activists, many carrying makeshift weapons, have disrupted life in the federal capital, blocking the main highway between Islamabad and Rawalpindi and demanding that Law and Justice Minister Zahid Hamid resign.
The protests stem from government amendments to the electoral law in October which altered the wording of an oath for lawmakers. The government has repeatedly claimed that the change from “I believe” to “I solemnly swear” was “a clerical error” and the original wording was swiftly restored.
But the protesters accuse Hamid of sympathizing with a minority Ahmadi sect. The far-right leaders organizing the protests have been calling on supporters from other cities to descend on Islamabad and add their voices to their call for Hamid’s removal.
Hamid has posted a video on social media discussing his faith in a bid to lay the allegations to rest.
“I solemnly swear that I have no affiliation with Qadiani Group, Lahori Group and (nor do) I call myself Ahmadi,” he said. All three of those sects are declared as non-Muslims in Pakistan’s constitution.
What began on Oct. 25 as a few dozen protesters from hard-line religious groups, including Sunni Tehreek, grew rapidly last Wednesday as the Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYR) party led by clerics Dr. Asif Ashraf Jalali and Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi joined the rally.
Protesters have blocked the main artery between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, staging a sit-in at Faizabad intersection, pitching tents and threatening anyone trying to cross their lines.
Islamabad’s administration has placed shipping containers on several routes into the city and have deployed a large contingent of law enforcement officers to maintain order.
Some schools and businesses have closed and messages circulating on social media suggest people should avoid leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary. Public transport has been disrupted and the city’s business district has suffered significant losses as its main road has been shutdown by police to prevent protesters from reaching federal government buildings, as they have threatened to do if Hamid does not resign.
Aurangzeb suggested that the government’s patience may be running out.
“I think we gave them enough time and negotiated but they wouldn’t listen,” she told Arab News. “They have made everyone’s life miserable and we will take action to remove the protesters.”
Aurangzeb said the Ministry of Interior has ordered the road to be cleared.
In a statement, Minister of Interior Ahsan Iqbal said: “The government is avoiding extreme action so that extremists cannot take advantage of it.”
He added that the government is “trying to avoid violence.” However, he stressed that putting people’s lives at risk is a criminal offense.
“Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah leaders can protest but should avoid challenging the law,” Iqbal said, adding that he hoped the protesters would not force the government to take “extreme measures.”
Islamabad vows to ‘take action’ against belligerent protesters
Islamabad vows to ‘take action’ against belligerent protesters
Dozens missing after boat carrying more than 200 migrants capsized off the coast of Gambia
- At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region
BANJUL: Dozens are missing after a boat carrying more than 200 migrants on their way to Europe capsized off the coast of Gambia, the West African nation’s leader said late Friday, setting off a frantic search and rescue operation.
At least 102 survivors have been rescued and seven bodies recovered from the boat that capsized on New Year’s Eve in northwest Gambia’s North Bank region, Gambian President Adama Barrow said in a state broadcast.
The emergency services were joined by local fishermen and other volunteers in searching for the victims, days after Wednesday’s incident near the village of Jinack, he said.
Thousands of Africans desperate for better opportunities in Europe risk their lives traveling on boats along the Atlantic coast, one of the world’s deadliest migrant routes that connects the West African coast across Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.
Many migrants seeking to reach Spain via the Canary Islands never make it due to high risks of boats capsizing. In August 2025, around 150 people were either dead or missing after their boat that came from Gambia capsized off the coast of Mauritania. A similar incident in July 2024 killed more than a dozen migrants with 150 others declared missing.
It was not clear what led to the latest tragedy. Gambia’s Ministry of Defense said the boat was found “grounded on a sandbank.”
“The national emergency response plan has been activated and the government has deployed adequate resources to intensify efforts and provide assistance to the survivors,” Barrow said.
Some of the 102 survivors were undergoing urgent medical care, the Gambian leader said.
As he condoled with families, Barrow vowed a full investigation and called the accident a “painful reminder of the dangerous and life-threatening nature of irregular migration.”
“The government will strengthen efforts to prevent irregular migration and remains determined to create safer and more dignified opportunities for young people to fulfil their dreams,” he added.
