Pakistani Islamist group reaches deal with government, calls off protest march

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) Islamist political party chant slogans as they protest protest against the arrest of their leader in Lahore, Pakistan April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - A hardline Pakistani Islamist group called off a protest march to the capital Islamabad on Sunday after reaching a deal with the government, ending two weeks of clashes that left at least seven policemen dead and scores injured on both sides.

The Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) began the march calling for the release of jailed leader Saad Rizvi and the expulsion of France's ambassador over publication caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammad in a French satirical magazine.