TLP resumes its march following confrontations in Lahore.
Supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik arrived in Muridke on Saturday while en route to Islamabad, having conducted an overnight sit-in at Shahdara after violent confrontations with police resulted in numerous injuries and significant disruption in parts of the provincial capital.
Supporters of the TLP, under the leadership of party chief Saad Hussain Rizvi, commenced their “Gaza March” from Multan Road on Friday afternoon to demonstrate solidarity with Palestine.
The march was conducted in opposition to Section 144 enacted by the Punjab government, which subsequently barred key departure routes from Lahore to obstruct the rally’s progression toward Islamabad.
The TLP accused the police of employing excessive force against rally participants in Shahdara and other areas of Lahore, claiming that officers used live ammunition and tear gas canisters.
The party asserted that approximately twenty-four of its members were deceased and over 200 sustained injuries due to what it termed “police brutality.” The assertion, however, could not be independently substantiated.
The police asserted that TLP members assaulted law enforcement personnel with stones and iron rods, resulting in injuries to more than 100 officers and causing damage to both public and private property. An official stated, “The police demonstrated utmost restraint,” noting that no live ammunition was deployed.
Following an extended stalemate on Friday, the demonstrators conducted a sit-in at Shahdara, located on the northern periphery of Lahore. By Saturday evening, the rally arrived in Muridke, where TLP leaders declared their intention to spend the night before continuing the march to Islamabad on Sunday.
Simultaneously, officials in Islamabad and Rawalpindi remained on high alert, obstructing all primary access points with shipping containers, halting metro bus services, and partially disrupting mobile internet in preparation for the demonstrators’ arrival.
The TLP leadership asserts that its march is a “peaceful demonstration of solidarity with Gaza,” whereas the government charges the group of “exploiting religious sentiment for political ends.”
The encounter signifies yet another intense chapter in TLP’s history of purportedly disruptive protests, highlighting the party’s ability to mobilize thousands and contest official authority in public spaces.
The police spokesperson stated that the violent and armed demonstration by TLP serves no purpose other than to undermine national peace and order, inflict hardships on the population, and perpetrate violence against law enforcement officers. This cannot be regarded as a statement of solidarity with the downtrodden populace of Gaza.
A spokeswoman announced that a peace deal has been established in Gaza, with the local Muslim population expressing thankfulness to the Almighty for the return of tranquility, feeling content and relieved.
Simultaneously, TLP is employing “vandalism” in Pakistan to pursue its nefarious goals, indicating that these actions demonstrate TLP’s indifference towards the establishment of peace in Gaza, and this chaotic behavior resembles the reinforcement of Israeli extremists’ agenda.