On Wednesday, April 14 Pakistan’s interior minister recommended a ban on an Islamist political party whose supporters staged violent protests this week in response to the arrest of their leader that left at least five people dead.

Saad Rizvi, a Muslim cleric, had threatened protests to protest if authorities did not expel the French ambassador over depictions of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

The announcement by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad came hours after Pakistani security forces – swinging batons and firing tear gas – moved in to clear sit-ins by the protesting supporters in the capital Islamabad and elsewhere.

The crackdown came after five people, including two police officers, were killed on Tuesday in the clashes.

Police and paramilitary rangers quickly cleared most of the sit-ins staged by the protesters in Islamabad and roads were reopened. Ahmed asked protesters who were still blocking roads and rallying in the eastern city of Lahore to peacefully disperse.

The announcement of a proposed ban on the Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party came two days after supporters first began blocking highways and key roads in various parts of the country to denounce Monday’s arrest of their leader.