An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday handed over 30 Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) workers to the police for 14 days of physical custody in connection with recent demonstrations by the religio-political party across Punjab.
Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain accepted the investigating officer’s (IO) request for 14 days physical remand for identification parade.
Read: TLP’s Saad Rizvi ‘shot, wounded’, Muridke SHO martyred
The detained suspects are accused of damaging public property and violent riots in various cities of Punjab.
TLP suppression
The governments of Punjab and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have launched a crackdown on the TLP, sealing several of the party’s offices and seminars over the past week.
Ahead of the TLP’s anti-Israel rally scheduled for October 10 outside the US embassy in Islamabad, police had raided the party’s offices in an attempt to arrest TLP chief Saad Rizvi. Mobile data services were suspended and most of the city was blocked using containers last Friday.
Read more: Punjab Police ‘strikes gold’ in raid on TLP chief’s residence
The party was not allowed to hold the rally.
The first raid was met with resistance from TLP workers and clashes broke out along Multan Road. The situation worsened on Friday and in the following days, with TLP workers rioting in various cities across Punjab and attempting to do the same in Karachi.
Apart from lawsuits and mass arrests, the Punjab government is pushing for a complete ban on the political party. The province has given its recommendation to the center in this regard.
