KARACHI: Routine life returning to normalcy on Saturday (today) after end of ongoing sit-ins of religious parties countrywide, blockades were cleared, as the government and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) reached an agreement on late Friday night.
Demonstrations that had triggered on Wednesday, after Supreme Court’s verdict to release Asia Bibi, had left major highways, including the motorway connecting Lahore and Islamabad — blocked and routine life paralyzed in major cities, and caused massive traffic jam countrywide.
According to the agreement reached between the government and the TLP, a review appeal filed in the case of Asia Bibi is a legal right of the complainants and government will have no objection on it.
Besides, the government will take legal measures to place Asia Bibi’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL) and protesters taken into custody by the law enforcers from Oct 30 onward would be released with immediate effect.
Legal action will be taken to redress deaths during, if any, occurred during the protests.The agreement bears the signatures of Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sahibzada Dr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, provincial law minister of Punjab, Raja Basharat and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leaders Pir Afzal Qadri and Muhammad Waheed Noor.
Yesterday, State Minister for Interior Affairs, Shehryar Afridi ruled out the use of force against the protesters and said the writ of the state will be ensured.
Mr. Afridi said that the government was striving to meet a peaceful solution of continuing protests, adding that the sitting government was hopeful for a positive ‘breakthrough’ of the matter.
The protests had begun following the Supreme Court’s October 31 verdict acquitting Asia Bibi of blasphemy charges.
Schools and colleges remained closed while mobile phone services were also suspended in several cities as the law enforcers struggled to maintain law and order situation that hit routine life hard, taking heavy toll on commercial and business activities in several cities, including the country’s economic nerve center, Karachi.
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