The Government of Pakistan proposes the expulsion of the French ambassador to stop a wave of protests

Supporters of the radical Islamist group Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan call for the expulsion of the French ambassador, this Tuesday, in the Pakistani city of Lahore.RAHAT DAR / EFE

The Government of Pakistan has raised this Tuesday to Parliament the convenience of expelling the French ambassador, in an attempt to stop the wave of anti-French protests throughout the country. The unusual motion seeks to appease the radical Sunni Islamist party that is behind the violent campaign to have its placet withdrawn and the importation of products from France to be banned for the publication in that country of cartoons of Muhammad. Although the Legislative vote is not binding, the gesture of the Government, which has also released the leader of the group promoting the protests, underlines the capacity of pressure that violent extremists have.

The day before, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tried to calm things down with a televised intervention.

He assured that his Government and the Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), the party that caused the crisis, had the same objective: to put an end to the cases of blasphemy against the prophet of Islam in the world.

"Only our methods are different," he said before explaining that the expulsion of the ambassador and the severance of relations would harm Pakistan.

The same situation, he added, could occur in any other European country "in the name of freedom of expression."

So, he questioned, "would we also expel your ambassador?"

Half of Pakistani exports are sold in the EU.

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Even so, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad announced on Tuesday that, "after lengthy negotiations with the TLP," the Executive had agreed to present the motion in the National Assembly. It has also dropped all charges against the group in exchange for an end to the protests. Shortly before the parliamentary session, the daily

Dawn

reported the release of the leader of the TLP, Saad Rizvi, who was arrested on Monday last week when he began to agitate his hosts. A spokesman for the group called off the demonstrations, although the withdrawal order was slow to take effect, at least in Lahore, where thousands of followers had gathered outside its headquarters, according to Reuters.

For now, the government has managed to dilute the tension, but not solve the problem.

During the special convocation of Parliament (which was in recess), he has sent a proposal for consideration to a committee and suspended the session.

This procedure has led to complaints from the opposition asking for details of the pact reached with the TLP.

The seriousness of the challenge posed by this group was of such caliber that last week the government decided to outlaw it after its supporters blocked access to the country's main cities and attacked the police.

At least four officers have died, 11 were taken hostage (although later released) and several hundred people were injured in the clashes.

Faced with the turn of events, the French Embassy in Islamabad asked its citizens last Thursday to leave Pakistan temporarily, a call that according to the agency France Presse has been largely ignored. This Monday, the diplomatic legation recommended to those who had chosen to stay to avoid the demonstrations and use "great prudence."

The TLP began its anti-French campaign after French President Emmanuel Macron defended, in October last year, that freedom of expression included the right to caricature anyone. Macron intervened in a tribute to the murdered teacher after showing his students the controversial cartoons of Muhammad recently republished by the weekly

Charlie Hebdo.

The Pakistani extremist group, which considers its mere representation blasphemous, called for the French ambassador to be expelled and the import of products from that country to be prohibited.

The Islamabad Government then managed to stop the clash with the commitment to bring the matter to Parliament and resolve it in three months, a period then extended until April 20. But on Monday of last week, the TLP leader called a march for that day if his demands were not met. The government then chose to arrest him. A few hours later, the group organized protests across the country and its followers blocked roads, highways and train tracks with sit-ins. In view of the facts, the authorities announced on the 15th the outlawing of the TLP under the antiterrorist law.

The TLP, which advocates the implementation of Islamic law, was founded in 2015 after the execution of the murderer of Salman Taseer, a politician who defended the Christian Asia Bibi falsely accused of blasphemy. This concept of insult to Islam, its prophet or its holy book is deeply rooted among the most conservative sectors of the country, which has a high illiteracy rate among its 225 million inhabitants (96.5% of them Muslims), and the Extremists exploit it to advance their goals.