The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) called off their sit-in in Islamabad on Monday night after successful talks with government representatives. The TLP had marched on Islamabad with the demand for expulsion of the French ambassador after the publication of blasphemous caricatures in the European country. Earlier, the federal government had succeeded in wooing protesters to put off their demonstration at the Faizabad interchange. According to sources, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri held negotiations with the leadership of a religious group that led the demonstrators to take to the interchange in protest against blasphemy. After the negotiations, the sources added that the protesters pledged to call off the demo. Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting about the sit-in and problems being faced by the citizens of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The district administration sealed the area while cellular services have been suspended as part of steps to stem the spread its spread.
The participants of the meeting told the prime minister about the problems they and other locals facing because of the sit-in. The prime minister issued directives to hold patience so that such a style of registering protests could be discouraged, the sources said, adding that the PM was briefed about the measures the admin adopted to contain the demonstrators He was also told about the Supreme Court orders on holding the protest on Faizabad in the past. The participants told the chief executive that suspension of mobile services left the people and officials in the lurch. Activists of a hardline religious group took to the Faizabad interchange and staged a demo though police barred them from holding a protest at the site. They wanted to reach Red Zone to stage a demo in front of the French Embassy, a no-go area. The administration shut down internet and mobile phone services for more than 24 hours to limit the protesters. Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz said PM Imran raised the issue at the world forums. Reports said 24 entry points were sealed with containers. To maintain law and order situation, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqat had said, the capital administration on Monday suspended a section of Islamabad Expressway from Zero Point till Khanna Bridge. Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro service is also suspended, the reports added.
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