Chaos and uncertainty marked the last week for many in Pakistan. Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan — now a party banned by under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, was the major force behind it. The group has expressed anger against the French government’s support of the right to produce and publish caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as an instance of the freedom of expression. Last year, the now outlawed group demanded that the French ambassador be expelled from Pakistan and that French products be boycotted. The threat to march on Islamabad to protest for these demands led to the arrest of its 26-year old leader Saad Rizvi. The arrest was followed by a week of violent picketing across the country.

During the course of unrest, the security situation was dire. Innocent citizens were inconvenienced and in some cases injured in the process. Over 300 officers of the Pakistan Rangers and the police were also injured. TLP workers notoriously kidnapped and tortured a deputy superintendent of police in Lahore. Eleven other police officers were also taken hostage. An official statement by the police said the Nawankot police station was attacked and siege laid to it. Ammunition was also said to have been stolen from the station by the rioters. Similar incidents of violence were reported from across country all of last week.

The street violence has finally come to an end after an agreement was reached between the government and the banned organisation. The negotiations are currently based on four demands. These are: the expulsion of the French ambassador, the release of Saad Rizvi, the removal of the ban on the party and the release of arrested TLP workers and withdrawal of the FIRs against them. The government has announced that the first demand has been elevated to the parliament. For the rest, it has asked TLP workers to allow more time.