Pakistani Islamist group reaches deal with government

KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 31 (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.

“An agreement for peace and betterment has been reached,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who represented the government in negotiations with the TLP, told a news conference.

Mufti Muneeb ur-Rehman, the main TLP negotiator, confirmed a deal had been struck and said details would emerge at a later stage, “but you will see the practical manifestations shortly”.