Petitioner terms ban unconstitutional, calls for release of detained workers of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
A constitutional petition has been filed in the Sindh High Court challenging the ban on the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.
The petition was submitted by Rizwan Ahmed Sufi of Shah Faisal Town through Advocate Akbar Jatoi. The petitioner argued that the ban on TLP is unconstitutional, stating that no political party can be banned for holding a peaceful protest.
The petition further contended that TLP is neither a terrorist organization nor has it been involved in any act of terrorism. It stated that the party had organized a rally in support of Palestine and against Israel, yet thousands of its workers were arrested without justification.
The petitioner requested the court to order the release of the detained TLP workers and to declare the ban on the party null and void.
The Federation of Pakistan, the Ministry of Interior, and the Chief Secretary of Punjab have been named as respondents in the case.
Last week, Ministry of Interior issued a notification regarding the ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, stating that the federal government has “reasonable grounds to believe that TLP is connected and involved in terrorism”.
The notification, under Section 11B (1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, stated that the federal government ordered the TLP to be a proscribed organisation for the purpose of the Act and list the aforesaid organisation in the first schedule to the said Act.
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The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. The interior ministry presented a summary recommending the ban after receiving formal approval from Punjab authorities.
Senior Punjab officials joined the session via video link. “Since 2016, this organisation has fuelled agitation nationwide,” the briefing stated, adding that past violent demonstrations had resulted in the deaths of security personnel and innocent bystanders.
This marks the second time the group has been outlawed. The first ban was enforced on April 15, 2021, under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and later revoked on November 7 the same year.
