Thousands of supporters of outlawed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan are marching towards Islamabad with a series of demands including the release of their imprisoned leader.
A banned far-right religious party has prepared
to march on Pakistan’s capital Islamabad even as
authorities vowed to hold them back with force, following deadly
clashes the previous day.
Thousands of members of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) group had been gathered since Friday on a highway, just outside the eastern city of Lahore, with a series of demands including the release of their imprisoned leader. On Wednesday they began marching north towards Pakistan’s capital.
“We have started marching towards Islamabad, police have
barricaded the road, but we will remove them,” a TLP spokesman said on Thursday.
READ MORE: Several Pakistani police killed by gunfire at rally of banned group
Deadly clashes with police
Clashes on Wednesday evening killed around four police
officers and several TLP members, and wounded dozens.
The
country’s information minister had said they would be treated
with full force as a militant group and not allowed to enter the
capital, where shipping containers had been set up to block
roads.
“Police from three districts have been called while Rangers
are on the alert,” a senior police official told Reuters
requesting anonymity, referring to paramilitary troops that the
government had called on to help contain the protesters, who
were blocking Pakistan’s busiest highway.
READ MORE:
Outlawed religious party suspends protests after deal with Pakistan govt
A government team was negotiating with the TLP, with
talks led by its chief, Saad Rizvi, from a prison in Lahore, two
government sources told media.
A provincial Punjab government
spokesman did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The talks were confirmed by the TLP.
“The government initiated another round of talks with TLP
… Saad Rizvi and two other leaders are participating in talks
with the TLP side,” a TLP spokesman said.
Besides demanding the release of their leader, the TLP
activists have been calling for the expulsion of France’s
ambassador over the publication of a series of caricatures
depicting the Prophet Mohammad by a French satirical magazine.
It is the group’s third countrywide protest campaign since 2017 over caricatures that are considered deeply insulting by Muslims.
READ MORE: Pakistan to ban far-right religious party over violent protests
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Pakistan’s far-right group vows to march on capital after deadly clashes
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