ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Tuesday that riots would have erupted if the Faizabad sit-in were continued for another 24 hours.

The interior minister took to the Twitter stating: “document of finishing dharna was not desirable but there was little choice because if situation had persisted another 24 hours there would be riots.”



He added: “civil and military leadership acted collectively to save the country from threat of religion-based violence. We must heal wounds to unite nation.”



Earlier, the religious leader whose group clashed violently with the security forces and paralysed Islamabad for weeks called off the sit-in protest on Monday after the law minister resigned, meeting its key demand.

"On the assurance of the Chief of Army Staff, we are calling off the sit-in," Khadim Hussain Rizvi told a crowd of around 2,500 demonstrators from the Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYRA), who have occupied a main highway to the capital since November 6.