Normalcy returns as protests end across country

ISLAMABAD: The life returned to normalcy as the nationwide protests held after the acquittal of Aasia Bibi ended following an agreement between Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP)and the government.

Roads blocked in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar were cleared overnight as the traffic resumed. In Karachi, the sit-ins taking place at multiple locations across the city including Star Gate, Al-Asif Square, Safari Park and University Road concluded.

The sit-in near Numaish Chowrangi was also wrapped up following the agreement and the protesters departed peacefully.

The sit-ins at Lahore where the largest TLP protest took place also concluded following the announcement of the agreement.

The educational institutions which were closed due to the protests opened in the city and across Punjab.

Demonstrations that erupted on Wednesday had left major highways — including the motorway connecting Lahore and Islamabad — blocked and the routine life paralysed in the major cities, and caused gridlock across large swathes of the country. Several mainstream religious parties had also held separate demonstrations in the major cities following the Friday prayers, with thousands of demonstrators converging near the government offices in Islamabad.

Mobile services in major cities across Pakistan, apart from Karachi, were also down throughout Friday.

In the aftermath of the sit in Prime Minister Imran Khan had issued a forceful rebuke to the TLP in a nationally-televised address saying the government would not tolerate violent protests.