ISLAMANBAD: Pakistan’s law minister Zahid Hamid has resigned after countrywide violent protests by hardline religious groups over his alleged role for changes in the oath about finality of prophethood in the recently passed elections laws, officials said today.
Hamid’s resignation was a key demand of the protesters who had staged sit-in in the capital for about three weeks and virtually paralysed Islamabad.
An official of Prime Minister House confirmed that the law minister sent his resignation to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi last night.
“The minister offered resignation to end the tension in the country,” the official said.
Radio Pakistan also reported that Hamid, the minister for law and parliamentary affairs, presented his resignation to Abbasi to bring the country “out of a state of crisis”. It said the minister presented his resignation “voluntarily”.
Hamid’s resignation has cleared the main hurdle in the lifting of siege of the capital by protesters who demanded his removal for changes in a law related to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat (finality of prohpethood) oath in the Elections Act 2017.
They linked the action to blasphemy — a highly contentious issue in the Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Hamid said in resignation that the Election Act was formulated by a parliamentary committee comprising members belonging to all political parties.
The minister is also expected to issue a detailed statement later, Radio Pakistan said.
Official sources said an understanding was reached with protesters in Islamabad to call off the protest as their key demand had been accepted and the changes made in the law had already been taken back when parliament restored the original oath.
State-media reported that government has succeeded to convince the protesters to disperse.
So far there was no formal announcement about any agreement, but its copy has been circulated on social media.
According to the agreement, government would take back all cases against protesters and make public the probe regarding the changes in the oath and also punish those who were responsible for crackdown on protesters.
The agreement lauded efforts of Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for playing key role in peacefully ending the stand-off, which became possible after an important meeting between Bajwa and Abassi yesterday.
Meanwhile, protests are still going on in different parts of the country and the protesters have refused to disperse until a formal announcement by their leaders.
Activists of Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and Sunni Tehreek Pakistan (ST) religious groups started protests three weeks ago.
They braved a massive operation on Saturday when more than 8,000 personnel of police aided by paramilitary Rangers and Frontier Constabulary lunched crackdown against protesters that saw at least six people killed and hundreds injured. (AGENCIES)
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