Punjab cracks down on TLP activists | The Express Tribune
Key Takeaways
- Punjab Police have finalized lists targeting 4,500 prominent TLP leaders and activists for province-wide arrests.
- The arrests follow violent protests where TLP supporters clashed with police, vandalized property, and blocked highways.
- A total of 76 criminal cases have been registered across Punjab districts, including charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
- Police operations have already resulted in the arrest of 2,716 TLP-linked protesters, with dozens more sent to judicial or physical remand.
- The protests caused significant casualties, injuring 250 police officers and resulting in the martyrdom of one inspector.
Punjab Police have finalized extensive lists identifying 4,500 prominent leaders and senior activists of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for immediate, province-wide arrests following recent violent demonstrations. The lists, finalized by IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar, have been dispatched to all regional police officers, with Lahore alone accounting for 1,350 individuals targeted. The crackdown follows widespread unrest where TLP supporters clashed with law enforcement, vandalized public property, and blocked highways, resulting in 250 police injuries and the martyrdom of one inspector. So far, police have registered 76 criminal cases, including 39 in Lahore, under serious charges like terrorism and attempted murder, and have arrested over 2,700 TLP-linked protesters in coordinated operations. An anti-terrorism court has remanded several detained workers, while the Punjab government dismissed allegations of withholding information regarding the dispersal of a TLP rally, asserting the group was uncooperative in calls to halt their march.
