LAHORE - In April, the federal government declared Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) a proscribed organisation under anti-terrorism laws. The religious outfit was founded by late Khadim Hussain Rizvi in 2015.
Since then, the TLP arranged seven violent protests across the country and each time, the government had to enter into a verbal or written agreement with the TLP leadership.
Following is the timeline of the protests and set-ins by TLP since 2017.
October 2021: The TLP launched street protests again demanding the government to release its leader Saad Rizvi and shot down the French Embassy in Islamabad. Rangers are deployed in the Punjab province to maintain law and order amid negotiations and clashes with the group.
April 2021: The TLP called for the implementation of its November agreement and insisted on Pakistan downgrading ties with France. Protests erupted in several cities after Saad Rizvi, the new leader of the TLP, was arrested in Lahore. As clashes between the law enforcement agencies and the TLP became violent, 16 cops were taken hostage by the protesters.
But a few days later, the government reached an agreement with the group, which, stated the minister for information, was fully implemented. Hours later a resolution was also presented in the parliament to debate the expulsion of the French ambassador. However, a high-powered government team held talks with the TLP once again and managed to reach an agreement.
January 2021: The group warned of taking to the streets if the government does not fulfill its promise of expelling the French ambassador by February 17. The government then signed a new agreement in February agreeing to take the issue up in the parliament.
November 2020: The far-right group marched to Islamabad to protest blasphemous caricatures published in France. The government again entered into a written agreement with the group and vowed to expel the French ambassador to Pakistan and to boycott French goods, as per the TLP. The government also promised to put the question of expelling the French ambassador to the parliament “within two or three months”.
November 2018: The TLP threatened to hit the street again if its demands regarding Asia Bibi are not fulfilled. The federal information minister tweeted that Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the head of the TLP, had been taken into “protective custody” and other leaders of the group had also been rounded up.
October 2018: Protests erupted across the country against the Supreme Court’s acquittal of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, in a blasphemy case. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government reached a five-point agreement with the protestors, promising to challenge Asia Bibi’s acquittal and to put her name on the exit control list.
April 2018: The TLP blocked major thoroughfares in Punjab, insisting that the government fulfill all the demands listed in its 2017 Islamabad agreement. The 12-day protest ended after the government reached an agreement with the religious group.
November 2017: The TLP held its first demonstration in 2017 and marched towards Islamabad after an amendment to the election law of the country. Three weeks into the sit-in, the then law minister resigned. Later, an agreement was signed between the TLP leaders and senior government officials of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, and then an official of the intelligence agency.