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The French embassy in Pakistan on Thursday issued an advisory to its nationals asking them to temporarily leave the country following violent anti-France protests by a radical religious group, The Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP). Even though there are no reports of protesters targeting French citizens so far, the Embassy said that the move is “precautionary”.
The embassy, in an email to its citizens, said, “Due to the serious threats to French interests in Pakistan, French nationals and French companies are advised to temporarily leave the country.”
Speaking to Dawn.com, the embassy’s press attache Veronique Wagner, however, said that the embassy has not been closed but is working with limited staff. France also said that all departures will be carried out by existing commercial airlines.
Strong anti-French sentiments have been simmering in Pakistan for months ever since French President Emmanuel Macron in October last year defended the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad and pledged to fight “Islamist separatism”.
Earlier this week, TLP supporters took to the streets to launch a violent protest with an aim to force the Imran Khan-led government to expel the French ambassador and ban French products in the country.
However, Khan’s government retaliated by detaining TLP leader Saad Rizvi and on Wednesday announced a ban on his party.
According to the Associated Press, Rizvi’s arrest further intensified the protest and his supporters disrupted traffic by staging sit-ins on highways and later blocked roads in major cities including Karachi and Rawalpindi.
The protesters also staged in protest in the capital city of Islamabad and blocked key roads for days. This led to police launching a nationwide crackdown triggering clashes that killed 5 people including two policemen. Over 300 people are reported injured.
The Pakistan government maintains that Rizvi’s demand could not be met as any action on the French ambassador or French products could “harm Pakistan’s interests”.
This is not the first time that the TLP is protesting in Pakistan. In November last year, the party led similar violent protests across Pakistan which brought the government on its knees. The protest was then led by Saad’s father, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, an Islamist cleric, who passed away on November 20.
According to Dawn, TLP at the time ended its protest after an agreement was reached with the government that promised to decide the matter in three months. As that deadline came near in February 2021, the government had “expressed its inability to implement the agreement”. The TLP had agreed to delay its protest by two and a half months and issued a new deadline of April 20.
