Punjab government suspends licenses of 28 arms dealers, while shops of several unlicensed dealers sealed
ISLAMABAD:
Supporting a request by the Punjab government, the federal government on Thursday banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), declaring it a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The decision – taken during a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – followed deadly clashes during recent anti-Israel protests near Lahore that left several people dead.
According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the federal cabinet “unanimously” approved the ban.
During the meeting, the Home Ministry presented a summary based on the Punjab government’s recommendation, in which senior officials from the province participated via video link.
The Cabinet was briefed on the violent and terrorist activities of the TLP across the country. Officials informed the meeting that since its inception in 2016, the group has been involved in several incidents of unrest and violence, causing widespread disruption and loss of life.
It was recalled that in 2021 the government of the day had also banned the TLP, but the decision was revoked six months later following assurances from the group that it would refrain from violence and disorder.
However, the Cabinet was informed that the TLP had once again breached these obligations by resorting to violence and incitement. The briefing noted that previous protests and demonstrations by the group had resulted in the deaths of both security personnel and civilians.
After reviewing the briefing and Punjab’s recommendations, the federal cabinet unanimously concluded that the TLP was engaged in terrorism and violent activities and therefore declared it a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari outlined the Punjab government’s latest law and order measures following a TLP protest earlier this month.
She said the government had suspended the licenses of 28 arms dealers, while the shops of several unlicensed dealers had been sealed.
“There is a zero-tolerance policy on the purchase and sale of arms and as I said earlier, now no license will be issued for arms in Punjab,” she added.
The minister further stated that over a million people in the province currently have gun licences. “In a province where so many people are licensed to bear arms, you can imagine how challenging it is to maintain peace,” she noted.
She added that 47,918 security firms in Punjab hold arms licences, while various institutions together have over 42,000 licences.
Bokhari also shared details of arms and ammunition allegedly recovered from persons associated with the TLP. Showing related images on a screen, she said TLP protesters had seized weapons, ammunition and other items from the police during previous demonstrations.
“This is their modus operandi. They surround the police, grab vehicles, weapons and tear gas guns from them and use them later.
“In 2021 [protest]they looted 3,498 tear gas grenades, 23 tear gas pistols, 326 anti-riot kits, two 12-bore pistols and 11 machine guns,” she said. Pointing to one of the images on the screen, she added that they matched the bullets fired at the police during the TLP’s recent protest.
According to Bokhari, TLP activists damaged eight police vehicles and seized a machine gun, two 12-bore pistols and 945 bullets during their recent protest. In addition, the minister said the protesters had seized 197 helmets, 22 kits, 130 “security sheets”, a tear gas gun and 984 tear gas grenades, all of which were part of anti-riot equipment.
They even damaged Safe City cameras, Bokhari added.
She further said that a Special Prosecution Cell was working on cases related to TLP where 559 suspects had been sent to physical custody. Among them, 161 were sent to prison and 190 remanded in custody, she added.
Continuing the actions taken on social media posts, she said a total of “75 links” had been blocked for sharing hateful and inflammatory material and 107 people had been apprehended.
Bokhari further said that citizens could give tip-offs to the police about the “extremist party” and “illegal citizens, be it Afghans or anyone else”, by calling the police’s 15 helpline. Their calls would be diverted to a special cell and the informants’ names would be kept secret, she assured.
She emphasized that “dala culture” would not be tolerated either.
“Calling for a strike and forcing shops, businesses and transport to shut down is completely unacceptable. Cases will be registered under terrorism laws [against those involved]”, she further warned.
Bokhari also stressed that there was a province-wide ban on posters, pamphlets, branding or any other form of advertising for “extremist mob groups”.
On Afghan refugees, she said combing operations had been launched to identify those who lack the necessary documents, who will then be shifted to centers established at the district level. They would then be sent back to their country in a respectful manner.
This would also apply to others staying “illegally” in Punjab, she said, adding that “information was being collected about illegal citizens doing business in Punjab so that they could also be repatriated”.
The minister warned in that regard that it was a crime to rent or lease properties to “illegal citizens” or allow them to stay in one’s residence and action would take over. “The Punjab government has taken a decision on this and it is being implemented.”
She also said that the Punjab government had requested the Center to regularize arms factories.
