After Tehreek-i-Labbaik’s (TLP) protests brought Punjab’s roads to a standstill last week, causing the death of at least four people, including a police officer, and leaving 56 others injured, TLP Chief Saad Rizvi’s whereabouts are still unknown.
Last night on GEO News’ prime time programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran said that the police did not have TLP’s Saad Rizvi or his brother Anas Rizvi in custody.
“You must have seen the video of (Rizvi) covering his face and walking away, after instigating the crowd. We have traced his whereabouts and where he went and we will soon find him…he is still on the run and he is not in police custody. But we are determined to catch him so he can be held accountable for what he did and tell us what his agenda was when he did it,” said the DIG.
Khanzada asked the DIG if Saad Rizvi had been shot or injured to which he said that Rizvi and his followers recorded everything and put it on social media. “If he is injured or shot, where are the videos?” he asked.
The DIG also mentioned that the TLP always gives exaggerated figures of people who have allegedly died in all their protests. There is no evidence of anyone who has died from their side, no hospital records or any other information, he stressed, adding that it was propaganda done by the TLP.
“They are not peaceful people, they steal cars and containers and we have witnesses and people that they have stolen cars from. They steal police mobiles and ride and drive them like they have taken over the nation. They always do this,” he said.
The DIG also went on to state that since 2017, 60 police officers were permanently disabled because of TLP protests. “They hit these officers with sticks that have nails on them, some have lost their eyesight, some their limbs,” he said, “This torture they inflict on people…injured is not the right word for it. These officers spend their whole lives with disabilities.”
When asked if it was a peaceful protest, the DIG said, “They are a religious party but lie brilliantly. They post lies on social media. We asked them why are you protesting for Gaza when Palestine has a ceasefire and the people there are happy. We told them, “Why don’t you protest in Lahore but they said that we will protest and go to the American embassy in Islamabad and they are used to doing what they want because the state has always subjected itself to their demands.”
Authorities have also launched a money-laundering investigation against Saad Rizvi after a “huge cache” of foreign currency and nearly 2kg of gold were recovered from his Lahore residence. Officials said the findings prompted a wider probe into Rizvi’s bank accounts, assets, and alleged funding networks, with the FIA freezing several accounts.
Punjab police said the TLP had purchased dozens of properties near its Multan Road headquarters, effectively turning the area into a “no-go zone” for law enforcement and the public. The recovered valuables included 1.92kg of gold, 898g of silver, 69 branded watches, and various gold ornaments.