ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s parliament has postponed until Friday a debate on whether the country should expel the French ambassador after a recently banned religious party threatened to stage more protests unless the envoy leaves.
The pressure to kick the ambassador out came from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party after French President Emmanuel Macron defended in February the right of a satirical magazine to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which is seen by many Muslims as blasphemous. The TLP last week held violent nationwide protests to force the government to honor what it said was a commitment made to it in February to expel France’s envoy before April 20.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a video statement on Tuesday that TLP leaders had agreed to call off the protests after the government promised that a resolution on the expulsion of the ambassador would be discussed in parliament. He also said that all cases registered against protesting TLP workers would be withdrawn.
The ruling party presented the resolution at a special session of the National Assembly on Tuesday. Parliament speaker Asad Qaiser postponed discussion on the document until Friday to include input from opposition members who requested time to look into a government-drafted resolution on the issue.
“Issue of demand of expulsion of French ambassador be discussed,” the resolution read. “Issues pertaining to foreign policy shall remain right of the state and no party or group can exert any illegal pressure.”
The document also said that Muslim countries will be urged to take one stand against the publication of blasphemous content and the issue should be raised at all international forums.
The house also adopted a motion to form a special committee to further discuss the resolution before adopting it.
On Monday night, the government closed all major roads in Islamabad and Rawalpindi with shipping containers, fearing the TLP workers may move toward the twin cities to hold anti-France protests.
The blockade came after Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a televised address that breaking diplomatic ties with France would hit Pakistani exports to the European Union and fuel poverty, unemployment and inflation in the country.
Violent protests by the rightwing group rocked the country since last week when TLP chief Saad Rizvi was arrested in Lahore for threatening the government with rallies if it did not expel the French envoy to Islamabad over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) published in France last year.
The protests paralyzed major cities and highways all week, leading to the killing of six policemen, according to the government. Photographs of the police, with their heads, legs and arms heavily bandaged, were posted on social media by their captors through the week.
On Sunday, TLP said three of its members were killed during clashes outside the TLP headquarters in the eastern city of Lahore. The group also took a number of police officers and paramilitary troops hostage, releasing 11 policemen in the early hours of Monday after negotiations with the government.
The interior ministry said last week it was moving to have the TLP party banned for attacking police and paramilitary troops and disrupting public life during its protests. The interior ministry’s decision was approved by the federal cabinet, thought it needs to be ratified by the Supreme Court for the official dissolution of the group.
The riots also prompted the French embassy to recommend all its nationals to temporarily leave the country.
