LAHORE: Opposition parties have lauded the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) decision of calling off its `Islamabad lockdown` protest, but say it came too late.

Pakistan People`s Party leader Senator Rehman Malik regretted that the PTI and PML-N could have reached an agreement on the Panama issue months ago without causing hassle to workers and police, saving the expenses incurred on the whole agitation and those on preventing it.

`I wish both the PTI and PML-N had done this deal two months back. Why so much hassles to workers/ police/expenses and few deaths,` the former interior minister said in a tweet.

He recalled his prediction that both these parties would enter into a `plea bargain` through backdoor channels.

Tehrik-i-Istiqlal president Rehmat Khan Wardag lamented that the PTI withdrew its protest call only after creating so much hatred between two federating units (Punjab and KP).Chiding the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister for using such language against the federation and Punjabis that, he said, was more `poisonous` than that used by certain ultra-nationalists, he urged Imran Khan to take action against Pervaiz Khattak if the party wished to remain popular in other provinces.

Jamiat Ulema Pakistan (JUP) president Pir Ijaz Hashmi said Imran Khan should have ended the protest when the Supreme Court had fixed Nov 1 as the date for hearing the Panama caseissue and prevented the mayhem, chaos in the country, saving people from a lot of inconvenience.

He regretted that the activists from KP were left at the mercy of police, while Imran Khan`s close aides from Punjab were enjoying at Mr Khan`s residence in Banigala.

He said none of the family members of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jehangir Tareen, Asad Umar or Aleem Khan courted arrest orfound protesting on roads.

Mr Hashmi doubted if the PTI leadership could stick to its stance of calling off the protest.