A day after the federal government approved a ban on Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) under the anti-terrorism act (ATA), the Interior Ministry on Friday formally banned the religiopolitical party, declaring the group a proscribed organisation.
A notification – that comes almost a week after Punjab government proposed the ban amid deadly protests by the TLP – said that the federal government has reasonable grounds to believe that the party is connected to terrorism.
“[…] In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11B(1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997), the federal government hereby orders 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,” the notification read.
A day earlier, a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had said that a ban on TLP had “unaimously” been approved by the federal cabinet.
It added that the Interior Ministry presented the summary to the federal cabinet on the Punjab government’s request and a briefing was provided on the “violent and terrorist activities of TLP in the country”.
“The meeting was informed that this organisation, established since 2016, has incited violence across the country. Due to the organisation, incidents of violence have occurred in different parts of the country,” it added.
It pointed out that the TLP was banned in 2021 as well, which was lifted after six months on the condition that unrest and violent activities would not be carried out by the party in the future, adding that a reason for the current ban on the organisation was also the reneging on the guarantees given in 2021.
“In the past, security personnel and innocent bystanders have been killed in violent protests and rallies by the TLP. The federal cabinet, after a briefing given to the meeting and the recommendation of the Punjab government, unanimously concluded that the TLP is involved in terrorism and violent acts,” the press release concluded.
Punjab government had last week forwarded a formal recommendation to the Centre, requesting a formal ban on TLP in response to a fresh call of protest by the religious party after violent clashes across the province.
The move was aimed at restoring public order and reinforcing the writ of the state and rule of law after casualties were reported in camps of both law enforcement and the TLP. The unrest began when police dismantled a TLP protest camp in Muridke, prompting confrontations that led to the death of a police station house officer (SHO) and three others, including a passerby.
According to Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari, at least 1,648 police personnel were also injured, some of whom were struck by gunfire while dozens of public and private vehicles were also torched, and commercial properties damaged.
It may be noted that this is not the first time the hardliner party has been banned.
The party was first outlawed in April 2021 amid violent rallies over the publication of blasphemous caricatures in France.
The then Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had in November 2021 announced lifting the ban following an agreement between the government and said party to halt its march to Islamabad.