Pakistani Muslim cleric calls off mass protest after deal with government

A Pakistani Muslim cleric has called off a mass protest rally in the capital Islamabad after reaching a deal with the government.

On Thursday, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri asked his supporters to end the protest on its fourth day after the government agreed to dissolve the parliament before March 16.

“We have reached an agreement… I want to congratulate you on the victory that Allah has granted you. Today is a day of victory for the people of Pakistan. It is a day of victory for all the participants of the long march…We have to end (the sit-in),” Qadri told his supporters.

Earlier this week, he called on his followers to march into the capital to demand a peaceful “revolution” and the dissolution of the parliament.

The cleric is calling for an end to corruption and sweeping reforms to tackle the country’s numerous problems.

Earlier in the day, the head of Pakistan’s anti-corruption bureau defied an order by the Supreme Court to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on corruption charges.

National Accountability Bureau Chairman Fasih Bokhari told the top court that there was not enough evidence to arrest the premier.

Bokhari, who was appointed by President Asif Ali Zardari, said that the investigating officers “were not able to bring incriminating evidence” and instead “relied on oral statements which are not warranted in the court of law.”