French Embassy Appeals To Its Citizens And Companies To Leave Pakistan After Violent Anti-France Protests

The French embassy in Pakistan has appealed to all the companies and nationals from the European country to leave the Islamic state after violent anti-France protests across the nation this week.

“Due to the serious threats to French interests in Pakistan, French nationals and French companies are advised to temporarily leave the country,” the embassy wrote in an email to its citizens.

They revealed that all the departures will be carried out via the existing commercial airlines. French President Emmanuel Macron’s open support to a magazine to republish cartoons on Prophet Mohammed has triggered a massive anti-French sentiment in Pakistan.

In fact, the Pakistani government has moved to ban extremist political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which has largely driven the massive protests on this issue in the country.

TLP leader Saad Rizvi had even asked for the expulsion of the French ambassador and he was detained for a few hours after publicly expressing this demand, reports The Times of India.

TLP supporters had stimulated several anti-France rallies in Islamabad in November 2020 and that movement had largely troubled the national capital.

In fact, laws in Pakistan even permit for a death penalty to individuals for insulting Islamic figures or the religion itself and hence this issue of supposed ‘blasphemy’ has caused a major stir in the neighbouring nation.