Pakistan Bans Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan After Deadly Clashes

Supporters of the banned Islamist political party Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) chant slogans demandig the release of their leader and the expulsion of the French ambassador over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, during a protest rally in Lahore, Pakistan, October 22, 2021.

Pakistan on Thursday (23 October) banned the violent Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) under the country’s anti-terrorism law, following deadly clashes with police during an anti-Israel rally that left five people dead.

The cabinet approved the ban, according to a government statement.

The far-right Sunni Muslim group, founded in 2015 as a movement, has become known for large, often violent street protests that have posed major challenges for successive Pakistani governments.

TLP, which turned into a political party in 2016, has frequently rallied around blasphemy issues, making it a central focus of its activism and campaigns.

The party was previously banned in 2021 by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government after violent demonstrations. That ban was lifted within six months on the condition that the group would cease using violence, the statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office noted.