Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said on Friday that the provincial government had forwarded the summary for banning the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to the Centre.
“The Punjab cabinet has given its approval for banning the TLP and this has been forwarded to the Centre. So the legal requirement with regards to the provinces has been fulfilled. The provincial government, after giving its approval, has forwarded the summary to the Centre,” she said at a press conference in Lahore.
Her statement comes a day after the Punjab government decided[1] to ask the Centre to ban the TLP. Meanwhile, there have been reports[2] of authorities going down hard on the TLP since a crackdown on its protest camp in Muridke on Monday. The move by law enforcement agencies had triggered violent clashes, chaos dozens of arrests.
At the outset of her press conference, Bokhari, without naming the TLP, also referred to a protest called “in the name of Gaza”, noting that the demonstration was “illogically” carried out after a truce to end the war in Gaza went into effect.
She added that the protest had turned “bloody” as always. “This is not the first time that this party — or I would rather call it a group — has resorted to such acts. Be it 2017, 2019 2021 or 2022. there are repeated attempts to paralyse the lives of people and shut down the country,” she continued, apparently referring to the TLP’s previous protests that had turned violent[3].
“We saw a continuity of those instances this time as well,” the minister added. “The only difference this time was that the state and government together decided that this cannot continue anymore. Pakistan cannot afford it anymore.”
She said everybody needed to think about how attempts were made to create chaos in the name of religion.
The minister asserted that when the protesters had taken to the streets, multiple attempts were made to “engage them”, rejecting accusations that the relevant authorities had not tried to resolve the issue through dialogue.
“They were engaged repeatedly, requests were made to them. They were told that people are celebrating in Gaza,” accusing the protesters of setting vehicles on fire and inflicting violence on policemen. “Were they a hurdle in the way of resolving the issue of Gaza?” Bokhari raised the question.
Referring to a protest call for today after Friday prayers, she thanked the trader community, transporters and the public for “rejecting the call”. The minister also had two videos played during the press conference, that she said were of Lahore of Rawalpindi from today. In those videos, she said, you could see that life was continuing as usual in the two cities.
“So now, everybody should understand once and for all that they cannot be allowed to paralyse or shut the country down on the pretext of any excuse.”
Bokhari the shared that 1,648 policemen had been injured during the protest, of whom 202 personnel were severly injured. “Was it a peaceful protest then?” she questioned.
Before outlining a set of decisions taken by the Punjab government following protests, she clarified that these measures were not against any particular “religious party, group or faith”.
Punjab IG’s warning
Earlier today, Punjab Inspector General (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar warned that no individual or group would be allowed to take the law into their hands.
His warning, posted on Punjab police’s X account, comes amid anxieties stemming from a statement by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Balochistan president Wazir Ahmad Rizvi, who has called on protesters to converge on Lahore’s Data Darbar today, as well as intelligence reports suggesting that TLP activists may engage in violent clashes and widespread chaos after Friday prayer.
Meanwhile, a separate group named Tanzeemat-i-Ahle Sunnat — which is not linked to the TLP — has also given a protest call[4] for today, demanding a judicial inquiry into a pre-dawn operation[5] on Monday that was launched to dismantle the TLP protest camp in Muridke.
A post on Punjab police’s account on social media platform X quoted IGP Anwar as saying that his department was actively ensuring the safety of people’s lives and properties, supremacy of law and maintenance of peace across the province.
“Punjab police is standing with civil society and the trader community, who have rejected the call for the protest and strike and expressed their resolve for [maintaining] peace and stability,” the statement quoted the police chief as saying.
It said he “strongly condemned violent protests, arson and illegal activities”, warning that no individual or group would be allowed to take the law into their hands. He also warned that “indiscriminate” action would be taken against those violating the law.
The IGP also assured the full implementation of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure — a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period — to ensure the safety of private and public properties.
The Punjab government had imposed[6] Section 144 across the province yesterday for two days.
A subsequent post by the police said security was on high alert across the province on the directive of the IGP.
“Punjab police has further tightened foolproof security arrangements in the province, including Lahore. On the directive of Punjab IGP, instructions have been issued to all field officers to remain on high alert and take immediate measures to ensure the protection of the lives and property of the public,” the statement said.
It added that district police officers, special branch personnel and the counter-terrorism department had been directed “to keep a close eye on suspicious activities”.
In another statement posted around noon, police said that the situation was normal in cities across Punjab.
In an earlier post specifically mentioning Multan and Bhakkar, a statement quoted IGP Anwar as saying that “under no circumstances will anybody be allowed to take the law into their hands under the guise of protests or strikes”.
The IGP had issued similar warnings yesterday as well, saying, “We have decided to treat the violators under anti-terrorism and other heinous charges to take them to the court of law for punishment up to 10 and 14 years.”
Meanwhile, a Dawn report[7] said police had planned a crackdown to round up the TLP leadership to scuttle its plans for protests today.
LHC seeks replies from Punjab govt, police
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) sought replies from the Punjab government and police on October 23 on pleas filed by the TLP. The pleas[8] seek return of bodies of the TLP’s workers allegedly killed during the law-enforcement operation in Muridke and medical treatment for those injured.
Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry presided over the hearing during which Advocate Naseem Usman represented the TLP.
The petitions, which were accepted for hearing yesterday, contend that the government carried out an operation against the party’s workers who were staging a peaceful march in Muridke. The party claims that over 600 of its workers had been killed in the operation while its chief Saad Rizvi and his younger brother also sustained bullet injuries.
It alleges that both Saad and his brother Anas Rizvi, among others, have been abducted by the law-enforcement agencies.
The party further alleges that the authorities refused to hand over the bodies of the victims to their families. It has asked the court to direct the government and police authorities to return the deceased workers’ bodies and ensure that the injured are provided medical treatment at government hospitals.
The pleas also seek directions for the authorities to produce Saad Rizvi and other detained leaders before the relevant court. The TLP further seeks possession of its headquarters on Lahore’s Multan Road, allegedly taken over by the law-enforcement authorities.
Punjab seeks ban on TLP
A day earlier, the Punjab government had decided[9] to ask the Centre to ban the TLP. In a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab government also decided to place the TLP leadership in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Without naming any party, an official handout referred to decisions taken against an “extremist party”. However, Information Minister Azma Bokhari later confirmed that the reference was to TLP.
According to the handout, the Punjab will “recommend to the federal government to impose a ban on an extremist party and the party leadership be placed in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act”.
The Fourth Schedule is a list of proscribed individuals who are suspected of terrorism and/or sectarianism under the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act.
Apart from these recommendations, Punjab also decided to arrest all “individuals involved in hate speech, incitement and violation of law. All leaders and workers involved in the martyrdom of police officers and damage to state property will be tried in anti-terrorism courts (ATCs)”.
“All properties and assets of the extremist party will be handed over to the Punjab Auqaf Department. There will be a complete ban on the extremist party’s posters, banners and advertisements,” the statement added.
It further said that all bank accounts of the party will be frozen and that social media accounts spreading hatred will also be taken down. The Punjab would also ensure strict action on the violation of the Loudspeaker Act.
It may be mentioned here that the federal government had banned[10] the TLP in April 2021 on the recommendation of the Punjab government under the ATA.
The ban was later revoked in November that year upon the request of the Punjab government, days after a deal was reached with the group to end its violent protest march towards Islamabad.
Meanwhile, four cabinet members on Thursday also said that the crackdown on TLP office-bearers would continue. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry described the TLP as a group of anarchists and arsonists that has no political agenda except to challenge the authority of the state.
“The TLP leadership has been deceiving the nation from the very beginning. We were holding talks with them even before the protest march commenced, but they never stood firm on any commitment,“ Naqvi said.
More to follow
Additional reporting by Rana Bilal