Islamabad: Pakistan’s government has decided to seek a vote in parliament on Tuesday on whether to expel the French envoy following the demand and violent protests by the far-right party over offensive depictions of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) published in France last year.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, which the government banned last week, held violent anti-France protests for more than a week demanding the expulsion of the French envoy. The protests resulted in the deaths of six policemen, leaving hundreds of police officers wounded besides damage to public property and disrupting public life.
To calm tensions, the government decided to hold negotiations with the protesters to convince them to peacefully call off protests. “It is agreed between the government and TLP after negotiations that we will present a resolution in the National Assembly today for the expulsion of the French ambassador,” Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a video statement on Tuesday. The interior minister said the TLP had agreed to call off protests and sit-ins across the country and that “negotiations would continue.”
All cases registered against the TLP workers under the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act will also be withdrawn, he said.
What sparked the protests?
Protests erupted across major cities in Pakistan on April 12 after far-right religio-political party chief Saad Hussain Rizvi was detained by police in Lahore for threatening countrywide protests if the government did not expel the French ambassador. The detention sparked violent rallies as protestors blocked highways and roads in several cities, partly paralysing commercial activities in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. After the government banned the TLP, the country’s mainstream religious groups extended support to the campaign.
PM calls for a joint approach to solve the issue
Prime Minister Imran Khan has appealed to the protesters not to harm the country’s economy at a time when Pakistan is dealing with coronavirus pandemic and economic pressures. “Violent protests in Pakistan have made no difference to France, rather it seriously affected Pakistan’s economy,” he said. He announced a joint approach by all Islamic states to address the issue of Islamophobia urging to criminalise insult of the Prophet.
