Pak authorities warn religious protesters to clear highways

Pakistani authorities today warned protesters led by hardline clerics blocking two busy highways in the capital to disperse peacefully or face a crackdown.
About 2,000 activists of the Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYR) and the Sunni Tehreek Pakistan have blocked the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road that connects Islamabad with its only airport and the garrison city of Rawalpindi, for about two weeks.
Hundreds of supporters of the TLYR have blocked the main road to Islamabad, threatening violence if Law Minister Zahid Hamid is not sacked.
They blame the minister for changes to an electoral oath that they allege amounts to blasphemy. The government has said the issue arose due to a clerical error.

The government had buckled under pressure and restored the oath to its original form yesterday after the National Assembly passed the amendment to the law.
The government had come under criticism for letting the protests linger on despite hardships faced by commuters but it balked away from use of force due to fears of a backlash by extremists.

However, authorities acted after the Islamabad High Court today ordered the city administration to clear the roads.
Government sources also claim that opponents of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif are using right-wing religious parties to destabilise the government and force early elections.

Sharif was disqualified as prime minister by the Supreme Court in July over the Panama Papers scandal.