Pakistan officials defer crackdown on protesters demanding removal of law minister Zahid Hamid
Pakistan authorities on Sunday deferred by 24 hours the operation against protesters led by hardline clerics blocking two busy highways in the capital
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More than 3,000 Islamists camped out on the edge of Pakistan’s capital, demanding the removal of the country’s law minister Zahid Hamid over a omitted reference to Prophet Muhammad in a constitutional bill. AP
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The rally began with a few hundred members of the small radical Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah party, who had gathered earlier this week at the main Faizabad crossing outside Islamabad. AP
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The demonstrators sought the removal of Zahid Hamid, although he apologised and said the omission of the reference of Muhammad being the last prophet in Islam was a clerical mistake and was later corrected by the Parliament. AP
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Pakistani authorities on Sunday deferred by 24 hours the operation against protesters blocking two busy highways in the capital, as the earlier deadline for them to disperse peacefully or face a crackdown came to an end. AP
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The government claims that the issue arose due to a clerical error and has buckled under pressure to restore oath to its original form after the National Assembly passed the amendment to the law.AP
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In doing so, government has come under criticism for letting the protests linger on despite hardships faced by commuters but it balked away from use of force due to fears of a backlash by extremists. AP
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Hundreds of security personnel in riot gear were deployed to take action after the Islamabad High Court on Saturday ordered the city administration to clear the roads and issued a 24-hour deadline for protesters to disperse. AP
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The protesters, however, refused to call off the demonstration and demanded that Hamid be removed for allegedly orchestrating the changes in the electoral oath. AP
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