Four-day sit-in concludes peacefully in Pakistan's Islamabad

The sit-in staged by the religious party workers before the parliament in Pakistani capital of Islamabad concluded peacefully on its fourth day after negotiations between the government and protesters succeeded on Wednesday evening.

Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, leader of the protesters, advised his followers to wind up their sit-in as the government had accepted their seven-point demands in black and white on Wednesday.

"According to the agreement, the government will not make any change in the country's blasphemy law, will release people who were detained during the sit-in, will cancel all cases registered against sit-in leaders and others, and will take special measure to prohibit televisions to telecast immoral programs," said Sarwat.

However, Federal Interior Minister of the country Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan denied any written agreement with the protesters.

"The forces have arrested 1,070 protesters during last four days, but only those people will be released who have not violated the law, and who attacked police and destroyed public property would face the justice," said the minister.

Following the announcement by the leader, the happy protesters held a collective prayer and dispersed peacefully.

The sit-in started on Sunday by demonstrators who were protesting the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, a former police commando who was hanged last month for assassinating Punjab Province governor Salman Taseer in 2011 over the governor's call to reform the blasphemy law.

The demonstrators turned violent and torched a metro bus station, government and private vehicles and containers used to block them when personnel of police and Rangers (a paramilitary force) tried to stop them to beach the Red Zone.

At least 42 security people including 32 policemen and 10 personnel of the paramilitary force were injured in clashes with protesters, police said.

Later on, Pakistani army troops were called out in the capital to control the situation in the Red Zone.

The number of protesters was dropped drastically the following day owing to the arrival of thousands of police and security personnel, and shortage of food and unavailability of washrooms.

The federal interior minister has banned any kind of religious or political gathering in the Red Zone in future and also vowed to bring a bill in the parliament in this regard. Enditem