- Title: Pakistan issues "last warning" to Islamists blocking route into capital
- Date: 17th November 2017
- Summary: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (NOVEMBER 17, 2017) (REUTERS) (PART MUTE) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS OF THE TEHREEK-E-LABAIK PAKISTAN (TLP) PARTY GATHERED AT A MAIN ROAD IN ISLAMABAD LAW-ENFORCEMENT HELICOPTER OVERHEAD VARIOUS OF POLICE ON ALERT FOR ACTION AGAINST PROTESTERS (PART MUTE) POLICE BLOCKING ROAD LEADING TO PROTEST SITE (MUTE) COMMUTERS WALKING PAST BARBED WIRE BARRIER (MUTE) VARIOUS OF FRONTIER CONSTABULARY (FC) PERSONNEL PAKISTAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER AHSAN IQBAL SHAKING HANDS WITH REPORTERS PAKISTAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER AHSAN IQBAL IQBAL SITTING DOWN FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) PAKISTAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER AHSAN IQBAL SAYING: "I appeal to them one last time. We want to resolve this issue through peaceful means. If you want to negotiate, we offer you talks once again. But open the roads. Do not test the patience of the public, because there is danger of the local population getting so infuriated that they rise up against you. We have prevented them so far because it can lead to a grave confrontation." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) PAKISTAN'S INTERIOR MINISTER AHSAN IQBAL SAYING: "I appeal once again - and I hope - that they will act on the orders of Islamabad High Court, and they will not take the law into their hands any more. Otherwise the government will have to take the step which the court has ordered it to do." VARIOUS PROTESTERS SITTING AT INTERCHANGE. LEADER SITTING IN WHEELCHAIR PRAYING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS POLICE PUTTING UP BARBED WIRE BARRIERS VARIOUS OF RANGERS ARRIVING
- Embargoed: 1st December 2017 18:10
- Keywords: Pakistan protests Islam police Islamists court government minister
- Location: ISLAMABAD , PAKISTAN
- City: ISLAMABAD , PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA00177V75TZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: QUALITY AS INCOMING. THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL IN ANAMORPHIC FORMAT
Pakistan's government on Friday (November 17) issued a final warning to members of a hard-line Islamist party who have blocked a main road into the capital since last week, raising fears of a violent clash as they refuse to budge.
Hundreds of supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party have been blocked the road to Islamabad for nearly 10 days, demanding that the minister of law be sacked for what they term blasphemy.
Tehreek-e-Labaik blames the minister, Zahid Hamid, for changes to an electoral oath that it says amounts to blasphemy. The government puts the issue down to a clerical error.
Pakistan's blasphemy law has become a lightning rod for Islamists, especially since 2011 when the liberal governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was murdered by a bodyguard for questioning the law that mandates the death penalty for insulting Islam or the Prophet Mohammad.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal appealed to the protesters to end the sit-in before a delegation of Chinese investors arrived in Islamabad on Monday (November 20), making a last offer to negotiate on their demands. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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