• More than 42,000 troops deployed as police plan to arrest leaders and activists to sabotage Friday protests.
• Authorities seek to freeze bank accounts and hand over properties to Auqaf
LAHORE: As police plan to take strong action to arrest Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leaders and thwart their protest plans today (Friday), the Punjab government has decided to ask the Center to ban the radical group.
Although most TLP leaders have “gone underground” following Muridke’s crackdown, authorities are concerned about the hardline group’s plans to take to the streets after Friday prayers to stage another protest.
These anxieties arise from a statement by TLP Balochistan president Wazir Ahmad Rizvi, who had called on protesters to converge at Lahore’s Data Darbar on October 17 (today), as well as intelligence reports suggesting that TLP activists could engage in violent clashes and widespread chaos after Friday prayers.
A senior police officer said Sunrise that law enforcement had received a list of TLP activists and had been assigned special tasks to launch a large-scale offensive on Thursday night to ensure a large number of arrests before Friday.
He said the Punjab police high command held a series of important meetings to arrest the “remaining” leaders of the radical group that had gone into hiding behind the Muridke crackdown.
The official said that a series of meetings were held on Thursday in this regard to devise multiple strategies in this regard. Chairing a high-level meeting, Punjab Police Chief Dr Usman Anwar approved the deployment of 30,000 personnel on roads across the province, besides assigning special duties to 12,000 plainclothes officers of the Punjab Special Branch.
At least five towns in the provincial capital have been declared “sensitive”, as they continue to be the center of violent attacks carried out by the TLP in recent demonstrations. These included the TLP headquarter at Multan Road, Shahdara, Chungi Amar Sidhu, Baghbanpura, Thokar Niaz Baig and Babu Sabu Interchange.
Warning against violence
During the meeting, police officers were instructed on how to “handle the mob” in case of violence. “We have decided to deal with the offenders under counter-terrorism and other heinous charges and bring them to court for sentences of up to 10 and 14 years,” said Punjab Police Chief Dr. Usman Anwar.
He said Section 144 has been imposed across Punjab, which prohibits all types of gatherings, demonstrations, processions and rallies. The Punjab Home Department formally issued a notification to enforce Section 144 across the province, he said.
“If anyone tries to attack law enforcement, vandalize public property or take the law into their own hands, we are here to deal with them with iron hands,” Dr Usman said, adding that instructions have been issued to track and arrest TLP violators with the help of AI-based technology.
He said the details of the TLP men wanted by the Punjab Police had been updated in the record of Safe City cameras and patrolling police vehicles to track and arrest them.
TLP ban
In a meeting chaired by CM Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab government also decided to include the TLP leadership in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Without naming any party, an official pamphlet referred to decisions taken against an “extremist party.” However, Information Minister Azma Bokhari later confirmed that the reference was to the TLP.
According to the pamphlet, Punjab will “recommend to the federal government to impose a ban on an extremist party and that the leadership of the party be included in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act.”
Apart from these recommendations, Punjab also decided to arrest all “people involved in hate speech, incitement and violation of law. All leaders and workers involved in martyrdom of police officers and damaging state property will be tried in anti-terrorism courts (ATC).”
“All properties and assets of the extremist party will be handed over to the Punjab Auqaf department. There will be a complete ban on posters, banners and advertisements of the extremist party,” the statement added.
He further said that all bank accounts of the party will be frozen and social media accounts spreading hate will also be deleted. Punjab would also ensure strict action in case of violation of the Speakers Act.
It is worth mentioning here that the federal government banned TLP in April 2021 on the recommendation of the Punjab government under the ATA.
The ban was later revoked in November of that year at the request of the Punjab government, days after a deal was reached with the group to end its violent protest march towards Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, October 17, 2025
