Pakistan’s radical Islamist party drops plans of march to capital

Following talks with the Pakistani government, outlawed radical Islamist party TLP on Monday cancelled plans of a march decrying blasphemy.
TLP spokesperson, Saddam Bukhari told dpa that it would continue a sit-in until the release of its leader.
“We will end the sit-in after our leader is released and at least half of our demands are met by the government.”
Bukhari did not clarify whether his party had dropped the demand for expulsion of the French ambassador in retaliation for last year’s depiction of the prophet Mohammed in a French magazine.
The announcement came hours after the government announced a breakthrough in talks after mediation of leading religious leaders.
Both the government and the TLP refused to give details of the agreement.
Life returned back to normalcy in the capital and adjoining garrison city Rawalpindi where roads, schools and businesses were re-opened.
However, the country’s busiest transport artery, the GT Road, still remained closed to traffic due to the sit-in of TLP workers at Wazirabad, a small industrial town around 190 kilometers from the capital.
Thousands of members of the far-right TLP have been on the streets for more than a week now.
The TLP members are trying to force the government to expel the French ambassador and release its jailed leader, Saad Rizvi.
At least seven police officers have been killed in clashes with demonstrators, who have been marching towards Islamabad from the eastern city of Lahore since October 22.
The government repeatedly refused to expel the French ambassador and instead, banned the outfit and put its leader behind bars.
The TLP leader was jailed in April under the country’s anti-terrorism laws, grouping the TLP with al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban.