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                       Pakistan Protest Ends After Talks

   by Sharon Behn

   Pakistan's coalition government on Thursday negotiated an end to a
   four-day protest in the nation's capital led by firebrand cleric
   Tahir-ul Qadri against the country's political leadership.
   Thousands of supporters danced and burst burst into cheers as Tahir-ul
   Qadri, a Canadian-Pakistani cleric whose protest challenged the
   country's political establishment, said he had reached a deal with the
   government.

   He called the agreement "a great document in the history of Pakistan's
   democracy," he said.
   The Islamabad Declaration
   Signed by Qadri and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the so-called
   "Islamabad Declaration" states the National Assembly may be dissolved
   in favor of an interim government a few days before its term is set to
   end on March 15.

   Qadri said that would allow for 90 days until the vote for a new
   parliament is held - time to vet those politicians standing for
   elections.

   The face-saving deal was forged after Qadri held hours of talks with a
   delegation of political leaders who joined the cleric in his
   bullet-proof container truck in the middle of the protesting crowds.

   ''Analyst Rasul Bakhsh Rais said Qadri's message was not new, but his
   street tactics set a negative precedent for the country.

   "Almost every day in some part of the country simultaneously, many
   protests take place in this country and if that is going to be in
   Islamabad again and again, I don't think we are going to have a
   democratic stability or political stability in this country," said
   Rais.
   Under the slogan of "Change," the cleric demanded radical reforms to
   the country's electoral system, to prevent what he called the
   perpetuation of a corrupt and incompetent political leadership.

   Pakistan's political opposition parties refused to join the sit-in. But
   Qadri's staying power, and his ability to tap into popular discontent
   with energy shortages, unemployment, and corruption, finally brought
   the government to the negotiating table.

   For some, like supporter Hasnain Ali, that was victory enough. He said,
   "Our message now has reached the world, and the start of dialogue is
   our victory. We want to change the system and our leader has started
   this change."
   He said all of Pakistan is with Qadri, adding that "we will stay here
   until we achieve victory."
   President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday summoned a meeting of the
   National Assembly for Monday, January 21.
   ''
   'The protest was the longest single political rally in Pakistan's
   history, and shut down the capital's main business district for four
   days. Demonstrators equipped with blankets and tents sat through cold
   nights and rain, refusing to leave until their leader's demands were
   met.

   Qadri kept a tight rein on the protest. The cleric had his own security
   teams secure access to the avenue, conducting body searchers and
   demanding identification of anyone who tried to enter the area.

   Thousands of police and armed paramilitary rangers had remained on
   alert in case the estimated 50,000 protestors had tried to break
   through the barricade of metal containers protecting the nation's
   parliament building.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-protest-ends-after-talks/1586072.html