Islamists say Pakistan agrees to French boycott, end protest

A Pakistani Islamist group called off protests over defamatory cartoons to Muslims yesterday saying the government had agreed to their demand for a boycott of French products, the group's spokesman said. Thousands of Islamists had clashed with police on the edge of the capital, Islamabad, on Monday in protests over the recent display of the cartoons in France. "We are calling off our protests after the government signed an agreement that it will officially endorse boycotting French products," Ejaz Ashrafi, a spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Labaik group, told Reuters by telephone. The government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the agreement, which, according to a copy provided by the group and seen by Reuters, was signed by two ministers, a top official and the group's leaders.