TLP calls off protest in Lahore after govt accepts demands

After negotiations with Punjab government on Friday morning, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has finally called off its more than a week-long protest in Lahore and other cities.

According to local media reports, the protest was called off early morning today after the government agreed to the demands of the protesters.The government has also agreed to drop charges against TLP leaders and workers.

The religious party had demanded that the report prepared by a Raja Zafarul Haq-led commission regarding the amendment made in the Elections Act 2017 should be made public.  The committee was formed to investigate the amendment in the oath regarding the Finality of Prophethood when the Elections Act 2017 was passed last year.

The protest, started under the leadership of TLP's Khadim Hussain Rizvi, gained more intensity on Thursday in Lahore after the protesters blocked a few places, chanting slogans against the government. Smaller protests were also held in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Multan, Kasur, Sahiwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Chunia, Faisalabad and Muzaffargarh.

Last year, the religious party held a protest and sit-in in Islamabad's Faizabad that continued for almost two weeks. The protest ended after the government agreed to the terms and Law Minister Zahid Hamid resigned. The government also agreed to make Zafar's report public but had failed to do so.