Protesters in Pakistan: We Have Reached an Agreement with the Government, Protests Will End

Islamist protesters in Pakistan have announced that they have reached an agreement with the government of the country and will end their protests on Monday, December 6. The demonstrators had blocked routes to Islamabad on Sunday. Ejaz Ashrafi, spokesperson for the 'Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah' movement, told Reuters on Monday morning, 'Our main demand has been met' and 'the government has announced the resignation of the Minister of Law and Justice, and we will end our sit-ins today.' The Islamist protesters in Pakistan were demanding the removal of Zahid Hamid, the Minister of Justice, and their protests had turned violent in recent days. They had blocked the entry and exit routes to Islamabad on Sunday, which led to clashes with security forces, resulting in the deaths of six people and injuries to at least 200 others. The group known as 'Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah' claimed that the Minister of Justice had made 'blasphemous' changes to the electoral law. Previously, the electoral law in Pakistan included the phrase 'I swear that Muhammad is the last prophet of God,' which was changed to 'I believe...'. The government restored 'I swear that Muhammad is the last prophet,' but the protests and violence continued with the aim of removing Zahid Hamid. The state-run PTI reported on December 6 that Mr. Hamid had submitted a resignation request to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. On Saturday, the Pakistani government had asked the army to take action to counter the Islamist sit-in in Faizabad. The army was supposed to act to protect diplomatic and sensitive structures, the parliament, and government offices. Reports indicated that despite police and paramilitary forces surrounding the gathering of Islamists, army forces were not seen at the location. The sit-in and blockade of entry and exit routes initially began with the presence of two thousand supporters of the 'Tehreek-e-Labbaik' but increased in number by Sunday. Right-wing opponents of the Pakistani government claim that the government is responsible for the violence that occurred. The police in Pakistan state that they were targeted by protester attacks. Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, leader of the 'Jamaat-e-Islami,' an opposition party to the Pakistani government, told Radio Free Europe that it seems the government has been unsuccessful and should have consulted with parliament members before taking action. On the other hand, Iftikhar Hussain, leader of the National People's Party, a leftist organization also opposing the current government, stated that actions against the protesters occurred after the court legally requested the end of the protests.