Punjab to Recommend Ban on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan Amid Violent Protests

Islamabad, October 16 (PTI) – On Thursday, the government of Pakistan's Punjab province announced plans to recommend a ban on the extremist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to federal authorities, following the violent protests the group staged last week.

The TLP initiated a protest march on Friday, aiming to conduct a sit-in outside the US embassy in Islamabad to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The clashes between TLP supporters and police on their route to Islamabad turned deadly on Sunday night, resulting in the deaths of at least five individuals, including a police officer, and leaving dozens injured.

During an extraordinary law and order meeting, chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, “historic decisions were made to establish the state’s writ and supremacy of the law,” according to a statement from her office.

While not naming the TLP explicitly, the statement indicated actions against an “extremist party,” including a recommendation for a federal ban on the group.

Additionally, the leadership of this “extremist party” will be placed on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). This schedule lists individuals suspected of terrorism or sectarianism since the act’s inception in 1997.

The Punjab government plans to arrest individuals involved in hate speech, incitement, and legal violations immediately. Those involved in the killing of police officers and damaging state property will face trial in anti-terrorism courts (ATCs).

It was further decided that all properties and assets of the extremist group will be transferred to the Punjab Auqaf Department, and a complete ban on the group’s posters, banners, and advertisements will be enforced.

The organization’s bank accounts will be frozen, and its social media accounts that propagate hatred will be taken down. The provincial government has also committed to taking stringent action against violations of the Loudspeaker Act.

These actions are part of an extensive crackdown on the TLP, which has already led to the arrest of approximately 2,700 individuals in the province.

This would not be the first ban on the TLP. A similar action under the ATA was imposed in April 2021 at the Punjab government’s recommendation, which was later revoked in November upon the provincial government's request.

In June 2023, the group faced restrictions briefly during its long march from Lahore to Islamabad. However, those restrictions were reversed within days following an agreement with the government.

TLP, a hardline Sunni Muslim group, gained prominence in 2017 through a successful protest that compelled the government to reverse changes made to the oath for parliamentarians.