Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, teetered on the brink of chaos on Friday. Security forces have barricaded major roads leading to the capital with shipping containers and mobile internet has been suspended. On Thursday, lakhs of members of the far-right group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) attempted to march to the US Embassy in Islamabad in protest of the Gaza killings. The march was blocked by police personnel in Lahore, leading to violent clashes with TLP men, leaving dozens injured and two protesters dead.
Following the crackdown, the TLP has announced its “Final Call” march to Islamabad, as lakhs of protestors camped on the outskirts of Islamabad towards the American mission. Islamabad’s Red Zone has been turned into a fortress and several hotels have been evacuated.
The security measures in Islamabad follow violent clashes in Lahore, during which the TLP claimed that at least two of its members were killed. However, police sources said only one had died, Karachi-based Dawn reported.
The US Embassy in Islamabad, along with American consulates in Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar, have issued a security advisory to its citizen warning them to “avoid large gatherings and remain aware of their surroundings”, because of the ongoing “protests across Pakistan”.
“These protests may cause traffic delays/detours due to closed or blocked roads in the vicinity of the demonstrations. The duration of the protests is unknown.We advise US citizens to avoid large gatherings and remain aware of their surroundings,” the US embassy in Islamabad said on X.
VIOLENCE IN LAHORE SPARKS SECURITY CLAMPDOWN
Dozens were also left injured, which included more police officers. Several vehicles and properties were also damaged by the TLP protestors in their pursuit of “justice for Gaza”.
After clashes with Lahore police, the TLP called on its supporters to converge in Lahore for a “final call” on Friday, the Dawn reported.
The far-right TLP, a political wing of the religiopolitical group Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYR), has called the march to express solidarity with Palestinians.
The planned destination was the US Embassy in the Red Zone of Islamabad. It is a high-profile locale housing diplomatic missions and key government institutions. In anticipation, authorities sealed the Red Zone and placed containers at entry points of the city, according to news agency PTI.
In an effort to disrupt the group’s communication, Islamabad’s Ministry of Interior directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend mobile internet services in the twin-cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Sources told Geo TV that Islamabad’s main interchange, Faizabad, a known TLP protest site, has also been barricaded, while hotels along Murree Road were ordered to be vacated.
GOVERNMENT ACCUSED TLP OF MISLEADING THE PUBLIC
The government fears the TLP’s demonstration may not be peaceful, reported Dawn. Federal Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry accused the group of exploiting the Gaza conflict to incite domestic unrest.
Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament on Thursday, Chaudhry claimed many arrested protesters were found carrying batons, chemicals, glass marbles, tear gas shells, and even firearms, which suggested their violent intent.
“Was the TLP planning a protest or plotting violence?” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn.
He also said that TLP neither sought permission nor assured compliance with any law.
He further called the group “mercenary-like” and accused them of trying to mislead the public through false claims on social media about casualties.
In Lahore, the Multan Road remained blocked as TLP supporters, using improvised shelters, occupied roads and clashed repeatedly with police.
According to Dawn, businesses were ransacked and vehicles damaged during Thursday’s violence. Police are lodging FIRs under anti-terrorism laws against hundreds of TLP members, including party chief Saad Rizvi.
WHAT IS TEHREEK-E-PAKISTAN?
The TLP is a far-right political party which was founded by Barelvi cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi in 2015. The group, boasting lakhs of members, have repeatedly taken to the streets to protest against any changes to Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws. They have also protested against the US, Israel and western nations to protest against their stand on Palestine.
Hussain Rizvi first came to prominence in 2010, when he quit his government job as a preacher in protest against remarks by then Punjab governor Salman Taseer calling for reforms to the strict blasphemy laws.
Khadim Hussain Rizvi died in 2020. After his death, his son, Saad Rizvi, led the outfit which has taken to violence in several instances.
The far-right party rose to prominence during Pakistan’s 2018 elections, rallying support around defending the blasphemy law, which mandates the death penalty for insulting Islam.TLP emerged as the fifth-largest party, securing over 22 lakh votes.
The group was behind the protests against the French ambassador in 2020-2021 over the alleged blasphemous cartoons published in France.
Thousands of TLP supporters launched a “long march” from Lahore towards Islamabad in 2021 to press for the release of their leader, Saad Rizvi, who was arrested the previous year for inciting supporters to stage an anti-France protest.
The TLP was declared as a proscribed organisation in 2021 after violent protests by the group to force the Pakistani government to expel the French ambassador.
Following a reported behind-the-scenes agreement, the government formally removed TLP from the list of banned organisations in November 2021, after the group pledged to abide by the law and refrain from violence.
