Punjab Seeks Federal Ban on TLP After Violent Muridke Clashes

By Zulqarnain Ali

Lahore: The Punjab cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has formally approved a proposal to ban the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) following last week’s violent clashes in Muridke during the group’s protest march toward Islamabad. The summary has been forwarded to the federal government for final action, officials confirmed on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the provincial cabinet had completed all legal formalities required for the ban.

“The Punjab cabinet has given its approval for banning the TLP and forwarded the summary to the Centre. The provincial government has fulfilled its legal responsibility,” Bokhari said.

Her remarks came days after law enforcement agencies carried out a pre-dawn operation in Muridke, where TLP workers had set up a protest camp on their way to Islamabad to demonstrate “in solidarity with Gaza.” The crackdown triggered clashes, arrests, and chaos, bringing the march to an abrupt end.

Bokhari said the protest had once again “turned bloody,” accusing the group of exploiting religious sentiment to cause unrest.

“This is not the first time that this group has paralysed public life. Be it 2017, 2019, or 2021 — the pattern is the same. The state has now decided this cannot continue,” she added.

The minister said 1,648 police personnel were injured during last week’s protest, including over 200 severely wounded officers. She insisted the government had repeatedly attempted dialogue before the operation.

“They were told that people are celebrating peace in Gaza, but instead they attacked police and burned vehicles,” she said.

Bokhari announced several measures against extremist activity, including a zero-tolerance policy on hate speech, a crackdown on unlicensed weapons, and monitoring of social media accounts spreading violence or misinformation.
She also said TLP’s bank and social media accounts would be sealed, and cases under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) had been registered against those glorifying the protests online.

The Punjab cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, also decided to move for placing TLP leaders on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) — a list restricting movement of individuals suspected of terrorism or sectarian violence.

Security and Legal Developments

Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar warned that “no individual or group will be allowed to take the law into their hands,” as the province remains under Section 144, prohibiting public gatherings.
Police maintained that no major protests occurred across major cities despite the TLP’s call for demonstrations after Friday prayers.

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) sought replies from the Punjab government and police on October 23 on petitions filed by the TLP. The party has demanded the return of the bodies of workers allegedly killed during the Muridke operation and medical treatment for the injured. The pleas also seek production of detained party chief Saad Rizvi and other leaders in court.