Clashes between cops and members of Tehreek-e-Labbaik in Pakistan’s Lahore left dozens injured over the issue of an anti-Israel protest on Thursday.
The Pakistani government has suspended mobile and internet services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and sealed the capital’s entry and exit routes ahead of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP), a radical Islamist party, planned ‘Labbaik Ya Aqsa Million March’ on Friday.
Violent clashes between law enforcement officials and members of the party in Lahore city left dozens injured over the issue of an anti-Israel protest, police said on Thursday. Following an announcement by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan to hold an anti-Israel demonstration outside the US embassy in Islamabad on Friday, the Punjab police raided the TLP headquarters here to arrest its chief, Saad Hussain Rizvi.
Violence broke out in the city late on Wednesday night and Thursday after the Punjab police launched the crackdown.
According to reports, the ministry of interior directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend mobile and internet services in the twin cities from midnight on Friday for an indefinite period. The move, approved by interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, comes amid heightened security concerns over the TLP’s protest call.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has also imposed Section 144 across the province with immediate effect, banning all kinds of protests, rallies, and public gatherings for 10 days.
A notification from the provincial home department stated that gatherings of four or more people in public places, streets, and open areas will be prohibited. However, the restriction will not apply to prayers, weddings, funerals, offices, or court premises.
The order also enforces a complete ban on the display of weapons and the use of loudspeakers throughout Punjab.
In Rawalpindi, Section 144 is already in effect till October 11, while in Islamabad, all major entry points have been barricaded. The Red Zone has been completely sealed, with access limited only to authorised personnel via Margalla Road.
Law enforcement agencies have been put on high alert as the federal capital braces for the TLP’s mass protest.
Lahore violence
“At least five police constables and over a dozen TLP workers were injured in clashes that continued for several hours,” a police officer told news agency PTI on Thursday. The TLP, however, claimed that at least one of its workers was killed and 20 were injured in clashes with police.
The officer said the police raided the TLP headquarters at Yateeem Khana, Lahore, to execute an arrest warrant against the TLP head, but were attacked instead.
He added that the enraged TLP workers attacked the policemen with stones and iron rods.
“So far, Rizvi eluded arrest. A large number of police personnel have been deployed around the TLP headquarters, and tension is prevailing in the area,” he said.
The officer further said the Punjab government is mulling deploying the paramilitary Rangers to avoid further clashes with TLP supporters. “Usually, the religious parties’ workers do not attack the Rangers personnel,” he said.
“To stop the peaceful ‘Labbaik Ya Aqsa Million March’, the Punjab government of (chief minister) Maryam Nawaz has resorted to disgraceful tactics. The oppression against unarmed workers and officials of TLP must be stopped immediately,” says a TLP spokesperson.
He said police detained dozens of the TLP workers.
Anti-Israel protests
“The Jews are oppressing Muslims in Gaza, and here their supporters are oppressing Muslims here,” the TLP spokesperson said, adding that the party strongly condemns the arrests and raids on its workers across the Punjab province.
After the arrest of TLP’s deputy chief Pir Syed Zaheer-ul-Hassan Shah, state oppression has reached its peak in Punjab, he said.
He said showing solidarity with Palestine has become a crime in Pakistan. “The voice of truth cannot be silenced through force. Every act of oppression will fail,” said the TLP spokesperson, adding that if the series of arrests and raids does not stop, the government will be responsible for the public backlash.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
