ISLAMABAD/LAHORE
Authorities in Islamabad ramped up security in the federal capital and neighbouring Rawalpindi following the announcement of a “Gaza March” by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), in the wake of violent clashes in Lahore.
The government decided to seal the capital’s Red Zone by deploying heavy contingents of law-enforcement personnel to block the protest rally from entering the city. Containers were placed at key entry points, while police were ordered to arrest TLP activists named in official lists.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said all state institutions were “on one page” and warned that “anyone advancing on Islamabad with clubs studded with nails will be met with the same response.” He accused the TLP of spreading lies to provoke unrest.
“There is no room for disorder or chaos in Islamabad – nor will we allow it,” he told reporters outside Parliament House. “Those who lie to incite the public are not only harming Pakistan but also the Palestinian cause.”
Chaudhry described the group’s planned Gaza March as politically motivated and unnecessary, given that a ceasefire and peace agreement had already been reached in Gaza. “Palestine needs action, not rhetoric. When Palestine has accepted the peace formula, what problem does TLP have now?” he asked.
The measures came as violence erupted in Punjab late on Wednesday night after police launched a crackdown on the TLP headquarters in an attempt to arrest its chief, Saad Rizvi. At least three police constables were reportedly injured when enraged TLP supporters retaliated, prompting police to respond with tear-gas shelling that turned Multan Road into a battleground.
On Thursday, TLP Punjab Assembly member Ahmed Mehmood Sanghra condemned the “police firing on TLP offices” in a fiery speech in the provincial assembly. Sanghra alleged that at least three TLP workers were killed and 11 others injured in the “indiscriminate firing” on the party’s offices.
“Our lives are not that cheap,” he warned.
