Lahore:
Tehreek-E-Labbaik supporters reached Murideke on Saturday on their way to Islamabad, after staging an overnight stay in Shahdara after violent clashes with police who left dozens wounded and parts of the provincial capital being paralyzed.
TLP supporters, led by the party’s chief Saad Hussain Rizvi, began their “Gaza March” from Multan Road Friday afternoon to “express solidarity with Palestine.”
The march was staged contrary to section 144, which was imposed by the Punjab government, which later sealed greater starting points from Lahore in an attempt to block Rally’s progress against Islamabad.
TLP accused police of having used excessive power against rally participants in Shahdara and other parts of Lahore, claiming that officers fired live rounds and tear gas shells.
The party claimed that about two dozen by its workers were killed and more than 200 injured as a result of what it called “the brutality of the police.” However, the claim could not be verified independently.
Police meanwhile claimed that TLP activists had attacked law enforcers with stones and iron bars, injured over 100 policemen and injured public and private property. “The police exercised maximum restraint,” an official said, adding that no live ammunition was used.
After an hour-long standoff on Friday, the marches staged a sit-in at Shahdara, on the northern edge of Lahore. By Saturday night, the rally had reached Murideke, where TLP leaders announced that they would spend the night before resuming the march against Islamabad on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad and Rawalpindi authorities maintained a high alarm, which blocked all major entry points with shipping containers, suspended metro bus connections and partly cut the mobile internet in anticipation of the protesters’ arrival.
The TLP leadership insists that its march is a “peaceful show of solidarity with Gaza”, while the government accuses the group of “exploitation of religious mood for political purposes”.
The confrontation marks yet another tense episode in TLP’s history of what is believed to be of disturbing protests, emphasizes the party’s capacity to mobilize thousands and challenge state authority on the streets.
The police spokesman said that the violent and armed protest from TLP has no purpose other than to disturb the country’s peace and order, create difficulties to the public and conduct violence against police staff. This cannot in any way be considered an expression of solidarity with the oppressed people in Gaza.
According to the spokesman, a peace deal in Gaza has reached, and the Muslims expressing gratitude to the almighty for the restoration of peace feel satisfied and relieved.
Meanwhile, TLP, by resorting to “vandalism” in Pakistan, is trying to achieve his malicious goals, he said, adding that these actions clearly show that TLP has no concern for the creation of peace in Gaza, and this anarchic behavior is related to strengthening the mission of Israeli extremists.
The spokesman noted that the armed groups present during the protest were fiercely attacking police personnel while at the same time forming a tale of victims on social media to mislead the public.
The abduction of police officers and the brutal violence inflicted on them does not in any way represent the cause of the Muslims in Palestine; Rather, it is a direct challenge for the state’s writing, which cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, the spokesman said.
He further maintained that those who take the law in their own hands would be treated with an iron hand and that there will be no compromise on the dignity of the state. “The public is encouraged to stay away from rumors, avoid supporting disturbing elements and fully cooperating with the police to maintain peace and order.”
Meanwhile, Jui-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has stepped in to help reject tensions derived from TLP’s ongoing protest, Sources said on Saturday.
The priest held telephone conversations with Punjab Minister Maryam Nawaz and the federal government representative Rana Sanaullah and urged both sides to solve the problem peacefully.
At his request, the negotiations between the government and the TLP management began allegedly.
The Jui-F chief emphasized the need to resolve the matter in a matter of dialogue and understanding and warned that the country could not afford further confrontation in the current circumstances, sources added.
