Pakistani law minister 'to resign' over police, protesters clashes

Pakistan's Law Minister Zahid Hamid reportedly decided to resign following clashes between police and protesters triggered by a clearance operation, the media reported on Sunday. Hamid made the decision during his meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said the Express news, adding that the law minister would tender his resignation to the Prime Minister on Monday.

Many other news channels also quoted sources as reporting that the minister is likely to resign shortly. The Pakistani government last month passed a religion-related bill and triggered strong opposition from religious community. The government later retracted the bill, but some religious groups demanded the resignation of the law minister and staged the sit-in protest for almost three weeks.

The protesters blocked the main road linking Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The government took a clearance operation on Saturday after rounds of negotiations with the protesters. However, the operation triggered more protests in major cities across the country. Local reports said that several were killed and over hundreds injured during Saturday's nationwide clashes.