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Pak on edge as 5 killed: What is Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, the group behind massive protest | Explained
TLP has been behind some of Pakistan's violent protests, and frequently calls on the government to expel Western ambassadors.
Pakistan is on edge as a pro-Palestine protest has unfolded into chaos, leading to the death of at least five people, including a police officer and the arrest of over 100.
The protest, called by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), is centred around Lahore in the Punjab province and has led to clashes between the Pakistani authorities and thousands of protestors marching in support of Palestinians, ever since last week.
Visuals from Monday showed several vehicles burning, including a truck meant to carry party officials leading what they have called the “long march" from Lahore to Islamabad. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with interior minister Mohsin Naqvi to review the law and order situation.
Also Read: Pakistan police officer among 5 killed as authorities disperse pro-Palestinian march
Following the protests, the Pakistani authorities have closed roads and motorways around Lahore and Islamabad. Large contingents of security personnel have been deployed, and the TLP protest camp in Muridke has been surrounded, in apparent preparation for a large-scale operation. The TLP supporters have been camping at Muridke, located near Lahore.
How the protests began: Pro-Palestine stance
It all began last Thursday, when Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan started its protests in Lahore and announced plans to march to the US embassy in Islamabad in opposition to US President Donald Trump's Gaza deal to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
- The demonstrations turned violent on Friday when the radical party called ‘Labbaik Ya Aqsa Million March’ to Islamabad, a move that was met with a crackdown from the Pakistani authorities, who launched batons and fired tear gas at protesters amid stone-pelting, AFP reported.
- Traffic was disrupted in two major Pakistani cities — Punjab's capital Lahore and national capital Islamabad — which are 370 kilometres apart.
- Authorities also suspended mobile and internet services in Islamabad and neighbouring Rawalpindi. Major roads leading to Islamabad were also closed as shipping containers were being placed as barriers to stop the protesters' march.
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The Pak Punjab police raided the TLP headquarters in Lahore to arrest its chief, Saad Hussain Rizvi. He has been absconding ever since.
During Friday's protest, around 50 police officers were injured even as TLP claimed that some of its members had been killed. The following day, the authorities arrested more than 100 people during the protest.
A fresh clash began on Monday when the protesters tried to remove shipping containers and clashed with police in Lahore.
All about Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan was a lesser-known political entity in Pakistan some years ago. However, the outfit rose from the fringe of the country's politics to yield considerable influence in the last few years over its violent activism over religious issues, especially those related to blasphemy and the Ahmadi community.
The TLP rose in 2015 after organising widespread protests to save the convict behind the assassination of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer over his opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy law. As the years progressed, the party gained prominence, especially in the 2018 elections, after it campaigned on the issue of defending the country’s blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam.
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Since then, the TLP is known for staging disruptive and sometimes violent protests, mostly over religious issues. On its website, the TLP claims to be the "only political and religious movement in Pakistan that has consistently raised its voice for the protection of the honor of the Holy Prophet."
The party has also staged several violent protests, mainly against the desecration of the Quran abroad. The outfit has been behind some of the country's most violent protests and frequently calls on the government to expel Western ambassadors.
TLP and its attack on Ahmadi community
The radical Islamist party has remained in the news for the majority of 2025, mostly with its attacks on members of the Ahmadi community and attacks on their places of worship.
Although Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, Pakistan’s Parliament in 1974 declared the community non-Muslims.
In May this year, a senior doctor from the Ahmadi community was shot dead in Punjab province. The TLP was suspected of being behind the incident.
In July, a mob, mostly members of the radical party, attacked an Ahmadi community worship place in the Punjab province. Two months later, the Punjab Police demolished two other places of worship of the Ahmadi community amid pressure from TLP.
What has TLP said?
The TLP has held pro-Palestinian rallies in recent years in Lahore and other Pakistani cities. The latest march was planned from Lahore towards the US embassy in Islamabad to express support for Palestinians.
The radical outfit said the protests was originally organised to oppose the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which Pakistan backed. However, it was intended to express solidarity with Palestinians over Gaza War.
Senior TLP member Allama Muhammad Irfan said that the party has no demands and the march was in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
"We have no idea when we will reach Islamabad, but the government is being brutal with us. We are not negotiating with the government at all," Irfan told AFP.
TLP has claimed that its chief, Saad Rizvi, has been shot and injured in the firing carried out by Pakistani authorities. Rizvi issued a video urging the security forces to stop firing and saying he was ready to negotiate.
