Islamabad: The Pakistani government has asked opposition parties to postpone their March 23 protest due to the military parade on Pakistan Day and the presence of foreign dignitaries in Islamabad during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting.

"You have the right to march for a long time." We don't mind as long as it's calm. "All we're saying is... let the session take place on the 22nd and 23rd, and after that, you're free to do whatever you want," Pakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The foreign minister had already warned the opposition that the government would not allow anyone to "interfere" with the OIC foreign ministers' conference, which is set to take place in Islamabad on March 22-23. Representatives from 48 nations have confirmed their attendance at the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad.

The foreign minister stated that Pakistan had sent invitations to all Muslim countries for the event, and that "it is a great honour for Pakistan to host the 48th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting." The foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be "guests of honour" at the procession.

The government's reply came when the leader of the opposition party, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, called for a protracted march towards the capital on March 23. The opposition appears to have rejected the government's plea to postpone their demonstration.

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