Pakistan bans radical Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan Party after deadly clashes with police in Lahore

Pakistan on Thursday banned radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, or TLP, after its members clashed with police during a recent protest that led to the death of five people. The decision to ban the party came just over a week after the clashes broke out with the authorities.

The tussle between the TLP leaders and the local officials took place on the outskirts of Lahore. Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif's office released a statement over the matter and said that the ban had been approved by the cabinet and was justified because of the group’s “violent and terrorist activities.”

The ban reflected Pakistan’s decades-long struggle to contain religious extremism without provoking a wider confrontation with influential clerics who can summon thousands of supporters to the streets. Sharif’s office accused TLP of violating the commitments it made back in 2021, when a previous ban on the group was lifted on condition that it would not resort to violence. It is also unclear how long the recent ban on the party will be kept in place.

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It is pertinent to note that the radical Islamist party in Pakistan was founded as recently as 2016 and has claimed to be the guardian of religious honour and propriety, particularly regarding any perceived slights against the Prophet Muhammad. It is known to have a stronghold in Punjab, the country’s most populous province, where sermons by its leaders draw large followings.

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Critics of the party argued that TLP has used Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws as a pretext to exert pressure on the government, silence critics, and rally religious fervour that can lead to violence. The particular clash near Lahore came after the party announced plans for a march from the city to the US Embassy in Islamabad.

The march was conducted to express solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. At the time of the clashes, the police said that the marchers had hurled gasoline bombs, used spiked batons and opened fire on officers, who returned fire. At least one police officer, three TLP protesters and a passerby were killed, dozens were injured and rushed to a nearby hospital.

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Despite all this, TLP’s ban garnered backlash for the Sharif administration. Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is still an influential opposition leader despite being in prison on corruption charges, posted criticism of the authorities on social media. “To use violence against unarmed people and open fire on them is completely unacceptable,” he wrote.

Interestingly, since the clashes broke out, the whereabouts of TLP leader Saad Rizvi and his brother remain unclear. The police said that the two men are in hiding. Meanwhile, the authorities in Punjab have frozen the group’s bank accounts and shuttered its offices and mosques.