ISLAMABAD: A radical religious party, the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), that had led thousands of protesters to Islamabad for a sit-in on Sunday, released a copy of an agreement with the government on Monday night, saying the government had met all its demands, including that it would expel the French ambassador from Pakistan within three months.
The protesters arrived on the outskirts of Islamabad on Sunday night, calling for the government to end diplomatic ties with France against the printing of images depicting the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Muslims around the world have protested against France and President Emmanuel Macron, who has vowed to stand firm against what he has described as attacks on French values and freedom of expression by radicals.
“Talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan were successful,” the religious affairs ministry said in a statement on Monday night. “Allama Khadim Rizvi [head of the TLP] will announce the end of the sit-in shortly.”
In a handwritten copy of the agreement circulated by TLP but which the government has not yet officially endorsed, the party said the government had accepted all its demands.
“The government will expel the French ambassador within two to three months after legislation in parliament,” the first demand read.
Pakistan would not appoint a new ambassador to France, boycott all French goods at the official level and release all arrested supporters of the TLP, the agreement said.
The handwritten agreement has been signed by Religious Affairs Noor ul Haq Qadri, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah and Commissioner Islamabad Amir Ahmed as well as three representatives of the TLP, not including Rizvi.
Talks between the government and the protest leaders were ordered by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the religious affairs ministry said.
Though the government has not officially confirmed the agreement yet, the interior ministry issued a notification ordering the release of all TLP supporters arrested during the past two days. At least 400 people were arrested just in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Geo News reported.
On Sunday, police fired teargas on stone-pelting protesters in clashes in which dozens of policemen and protesters were injured, Dawn newspaper said.
The protesters, who number in the thousands, had sent up camp at the Faizabad Interchange, which connects major highways between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Rawalpindi’s 24 entry points were sealed with shipping containers and as many as 16 entry points into Islamabad also blocked. There was no mobile phone service in Rawalpindi and Islamabad since late Saturday night and all through the day on Sunday.
The TLP had vowed it will continue its protests until Islamabad announced cutting all diplomatic and economic ties with Paris.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has already condemned “in the strongest manner the systematic resurgence of blasphemous acts of republication of caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and desecration of the Holy Qur’an by certain irresponsible elements in some developed countries.”
Last month, Pakistan’s parliament passed a resolution urging the government to recall its envoy from Paris and the foreign office summoned French Ambassador Marc Baréty to express anger over the cartoons.
French prescient Macron has paid tribute to a French history teacher who was beheaded by an 18-year-old man of Chechen origin for showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in a class on freedom of speech.
PM Khan has also taken aim at Macron, saying he had attacked Islam by encouraging the display of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
In an open letter last month, Khan urged leaders of Muslim-majority countries to tackle the rising wave of Islamophobia by educating people around the world about Muslim religious sensitivities.
“I believe the leaders in these countries often act out of lack of understanding of the intrinsically deep passion, love and devotion Muslims all over the world have for their Prophet PBUH and their divine book, the Holy Qur’an,” he wrote.