Pakistan law minister Zahid Hamid resigns, Islamist group to call off protest
Zahid Hamid
Hamid said he hoped his resignation would bring an end to the ongoing protests in Islamabad
ThePakistani Islamist group whose supporters clashed with the police over the weekend have decided to stop its week-long protest after the government agreed to its demands and the law minister resigned, its spokesman said on Monday.
"Our main demand has been accepted," Ejaz Ashrafi, spokesman of the Tahreek-e-Labaik group, told Reuters. "Government will announce the law minister’s resignation and we will end our sit-in today."
Pakistan Law Minister Zahid Hamid submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi late on Sunday, media reports said.
Hamid said he hoped his resignation would bring the crisis to an end.
"In order to restore peace, I have made up my mind to step down," media reports quoted him as saying.
The protesters had accused Hamid of blasphemy after rules that required lawmakers to reference the Prophet Mohammed while taking their oaths were weakened.
The government had apologised, blaming the changes on clerical mistakes.
Hamid too had earlier apologised to the protesters.
Hamid, media reports said,was concerned about his safety after his ancestral home in Pasrur was attacked by protesters on Saturday.
The reports added that he wants the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership to make certain his name is cleared of the controversy after his resignation.