Pakistan agrees to French boycott for end protest

A Pakistani Islamist group called off protests over cartoons of Prophet Mohammad on Tuesday saying the government had agreed to their demand for a boycott of French products. Thousands of Islamists had clashed with police on the edge of the capital, Islamabad, on Monday in protests over the recent display of cartoons of the Prophet in France.

Ejaz Ashrafi, a spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Labaik group, told Reuters by telephone, we are calling off our protests after the government signed an agreement that it will officially endorse boycotting French products.

The government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the agreement, which according to a copy provided by the group and seen by Reuters was signed by two ministers.

Protests broke out in several Muslim countries over France's response to a deadly attack last month on a teacher who showed cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad to pupils during a civics lesson. For Muslims, depictions of the Prophet are blasphemous. Pakistan condemned the re-printing of the cartoons. The agreement between the group and the government also stipulated that the Pakistani parliament would decide within three months on whether to expel the French ambassador.

Also, all detained protesters and their leaders would be set free immediately, the spokesman said, shortly after he was released. The Islamist group that has made blasphemy its rallying cry had blocked one of the main roads into the capital, demanding the government sever diplomatic ties with France and expel its ambassador.