While Gaza Moves Towards Peace, Pakistan’s Streets Burn: TLP’s Pro-Palestine March Turns Deadly

Pakistan’s Punjab Police launched a large-scale operation against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protesters in Muridke overnight, sparking deadly clashes that left multiple demonstrators and a police officer dead, reported India Today.

The Islamist group, led by Saad Hussain Rizvi, continued its march from Lahore despite heavy police blockades, demanding stronger pro-Palestinian action from the government amid Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

Security forces used tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowd, while TLP activists reportedly responded with stones, spiked batons, and petrol bombs.

Even Pakistan Rangers engaged in the confrontation, with protesters accusing them of firing advanced weapons. Punjab Police confirmed that three protesters were killed and one officer died in the violence, though local reports indicated a higher toll.

“When the dispersal operation began, workers of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) resorted to stone-pelting, using spiked batons and petrol bombs. Subsequently, they engaged in indiscriminate firing, resulting in loss of life to civilians and law enforcement personnel,” Punjab Police said on X.

The clashes followed escalating tensions across Punjab after police blocked the group’s route to Islamabad. TLP claimed 11 of its members were killed and over 50 injured in earlier violence.

“Arrest is not a problem, bullets are not a problem, shells are not a problem – martyrdom is our destiny,” the TLP chief reportedly told the protesters in Lahore during Friday prayers.

Information Minister Talal Chaudhry accused TLP of exploiting the Gaza conflict for “political gain,” vowing zero tolerance for violence. Authorities detained 170 TLP affiliates in Sahiwal division under the Maintenance of Public Order Act as negotiations continued in Lahore.

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