By Staff Reporter
MURIDKE: The security forces, including elite Rangers and police contingents from five districts, converged on this industrial town near Lahore early Monday, encircling a protest camp set up by the hardline Islamist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan and blocking its supporters from advancing toward Islamabad in what officials described as preparations for a potential large-scale crackdown.
The deployment came amid reports of two thwarted attempts by the group’s followers to breach barricades and trenches dug by authorities to halt the march, which the party’s leader, Saad Rizvi, has framed as a show of solidarity with Palestinians. By evening, mobile data services were partially restored in the capital region after negotiations with the group began in Lahore, even as around 170 party affiliates were detained in a nearby administrative division. The moves underscored the government’s intensifying efforts to contain the TLP, a party known for its uncompromising stance on blasphemy laws and anti-Israel rhetoric, as it sought to mobilise thousands for a demonstration in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday to assess the country’s security landscape, with officials emphasising a commitment to upholding law and order. Law enforcement agencies established a heavy presence around the TLP camp in Muridke, where protesters had arrived on Saturday and begun a sit-in after encountering trenches and sealed routes erected by district administrations. Witnesses said a group of supporters tried to cross the barriers on Sunday morning but retreated after security personnel fired tear gas and used force. A second push after noon prompted a similar response. By evening, Rizvi urged his followers to remain calm and await his next orders while he held consultations.
Speaking to reporters, he condemned the police actions against party workers and said he had not yet given a final nod for the marchers to proceed to Islamabad. He told reporters the government had not contacted the TLP for negotiations. “We are ready for talks,” he said.
Rizvi said the march was to show solidarity with Palestine, reiterated that Pakistan should not recognise Israel and alleged police were arresting large numbers of supporters and using “lethal weapons.” The reinforcements included units from Lahore, where 10 officers from each of the city’s 85 police stations were directed to proceed to Muridke under their respective station house officers, in addition to anti-riot squads. Similar contingents were mobilised from Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Gujrat districts. Officers across the region were placed on high alert to respond to any emergency, with senior Lahore police instructed to remain on standby for deployments pending final orders.
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