Pakistan, Islamists reach agreement to end violent rally

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s authorities and an outlawed extremist Islamist enactment Sunday reached an statement to extremity a 10-day agelong — and astatine times deadly convulsive — rally calling for the closure of France’s embassy and the merchandise of the party’s leader.

Neither Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi nor spiritual person Mufti Muneebur Rehman, who took portion successful the talks, gave immoderate details of the statement astatine a quality league successful the superior Islamabad.

Thousands of supporters of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan enactment marched from Lahore connected Oct. 22 toward the superior Islamabad. They demanded the expulsion of France’s envoy to Pakistan implicit work of caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad successful France. The protestation march saw supporters clash with constabulary astatine respective points on the way.

At slightest 7 constabulary officers and 4 demonstrators were killed.

“Details and affirmative results of the statement volition travel earlier the federation successful a week oregon so,” said Rehman, who said helium had the endorsement of TLP enactment person Saad Rizvi.

The unit erupted a time aft the authorities of Prime Minister Imran Khan said it would not judge the Islamists’ request to adjacent the French Embassy and expel the French envoy.

It wasn’t instantly wide Sunday erstwhile the enactment would extremity its rally. Thousands of supporters halted their march successful Wazirabad, astir 185 kilometers (115 miles) from the superior Friday aft roads and bridges up of them were blocked. Paramilitary rangers were deployed to halt the protesters from continuing toward the capital.

Sajid Saifi, TLP spokesman, said supporters were acceptable to “pack up” but were awaiting instructions from the party’s leadership. He said helium hoped enactment person Saad Rizvi and each the supporters arrested successful caller days would beryllium released soon.

Besides demanding expulsion of the French ambassador, the TLP was besides pressing for the merchandise of its leader, Rizvi, who was arrested past twelvemonth for inciting supporters to signifier an anti-France protest.

Rizvi’s enactment started demanding the expulsion of French envoy successful October 2020 aft French President Emmanuel Macron tried to support caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad arsenic state of expression. Macron’s comments came aft a young Muslim beheaded a French schoolhouse teacher who had shown the caricatures successful class. The images were republished by the satirical mag Charlie Hebdo to people the opening of the proceedings implicit the deadly 2015 onslaught against the work for the archetypal caricatures.

Rizvi’s enactment gained prominence successful Pakistan’s 2018 elections, campaigning connected the azygous contented of defending the country’s blasphemy law, which calls for the decease punishment for anyone who insults Islam.

Dogar reported from Lahore.