What is the TLP, the Islamist group at the centre of violent Pakistan protests?

Pakistan is in turmoil.

At least five people are dead, including a police officer, after major clashes in Lahore in the Punjab province between the police and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

Thousands of members of the hardline Islamist TLP took to the streets of Lahore in an anti-Israel protest. The TLP members and supporters, who began marching from Lahore to the US Embassy in Islamabad on Friday, a journey of nearly 400 kilometres, clashed with the police.

While protesters pelted stones at the police and attacked them with iron rods, the authorities responded with tear gas. Authorities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad have cordoned off important roads, clamped down on the internet and mobile data in parts. They have also imposed Section 144 and deployed security along key routes.

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But what do we know about the TLP? Who is Saad Rizvi, the leader at the centre of the violent protests in Pakistan who has been injured and is reportedly in critical condition?

What we know about TLP and Saad Rizvi

The TLP is a far-right Islamist party that adheres to the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam. It was founded in 2015 by Islamic scholar Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who passed away in 2020. While Pakistan incorporates parts of Sharia law into its legal system, the TLP calls for the country to be run under strict Sharia law. The TLP is currently being run by Saad Rizvi, the son of the founder.

The party is devoted to protecting the image of the Prophet Muhammad and is strenuously opposed to the changing of any blasphemy law. The TLP calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam or the Prophet Muhammad. Thousands of people have been prosecuted under Pakistan’s blasphemy law over the past few decades, with some of them facing life in prison or the death penalty. There are an estimated 750 people currently jailed under the blasphemy law in Pakistan.

The party is known for its use of protests, which frequently turn violent, to exert pressure on the government. It gained prominence after defending Mumtaz Qadri, the police guard who assassinated Punjab Governor Salman Taseer for criticising Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

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The party in 2017 also gained attention after it blocked the Faizabad Interchange in Islamabad. The party claimed that the changes in the electoral oath ceremony were offensive to the Prophet. This resulted in the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid. However, ultimately the army had to step in to squash the protests.

The party in 2018 campaigned on protecting the honour of the Prophet Muhammad and defending the blasphemy law. The TLP, which does not have its own armed wing, is widely considered a proxy for the Pakistani military. The military in 2018 used the TLP as a counterweight to the PML-N to hand the advantage to the PTI.

The party has held several violent rallies to protest the desecration of the Quran abroad, including several times against the French and Danish embassies in 2021. The protest left over 20 people dead, including several police officers. The United States in 2019 designated the TLP a terrorist organisation due to its violent tactics and extremism. However, Washington removed the TLP from the list in 2021.

Interestingly, the TLP was banned in Pakistan in April 2021, only to be reinstated in November 2021. At the time, Saad was jailed under Pakistan’s anti-terror laws. This resulted in massive protests, which led to the death of several police officials. It was the then Imran Khan government that overturned the ban – reportedly at the behest of the military. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October 2023 cleared TLP of “anti‑state activities”.

The party has continuously targeted religious minorities, including the Ahmadiyyas, Pakistan’s largest religious minority. Recently, around two dozen Ahmadis had to be provided protection after TLP activists disrupted their prayers. The party is also reportedly responsible for more than two dozen church burnings in Pakistan.

Despite its frequent violent protests, including its use of lynchings and mob justice to oppose changes to the blasphemy law, the military views the outfit as a means to do “their dirty work” – unlike the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Who is Saad Rizvi?

Saad, 31, who took over the party in 2020 following the death of his father, was a little-known cleric. While his power base is in Punjab, Saad has slowly been expanding his influence across the country. Like his father, Saad has also positioned himself as a defender of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the honour of the Prophet Muhammad. Saad in 2018 was convicted in absentia by a Dutch court for incitement to murder after allegedly calling for the death of a far-right Dutch politician who planned a cartoon contest depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

The TLP in 2024 emerged as the fourth-largest political outfit in Pakistan and the third-largest party in Punjab. It is the country’s largest religious political outfit. Thousands of radicalised young men flock to its rallies. The TLP has recently been holding rallies in support of Palestine and against Israel. The TLP has claimed that over 250 of its workers have been killed and over 1,500 injured thus far. Saad himself is reported to have been shot multiple times. There is no confirmation yet from the authorities.

With inputs from agencies