KARACHI: Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, has formally approved a recommendation to ban the religio-political Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, days after violent clashes broke out during the group’s attempted protest march toward Islamabad in “solidarity with Gaza.”
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Friday, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari confirmed the provincial cabinet’s decision, saying it had been sent to the federal government for final enforcement.
“The Punjab Cabinet has approved the move to ban the TLP, and this approval has been sent to the federal government,” she said. “The legal requirement concerning the provinces has been fulfilled.”
The announcement came a few days after a pre-dawn operation by law enforcement authorities in Muridke, a town near Lahore, where the TLP had set up a protest camp en route to Islamabad. The crackdown led to violent clashes and dozens of arrests, effectively halting the group’s planned march, which was intended to culminate in a sit-in outside the US Embassy.
Despite a TLP call for nationwide demonstrations following Friday prayers earlier today, no major protests were seen in any of the major cities.
Bokhari lauded the public for rejecting the group’s call for demonstrations.
“On behalf of the Chief Minister and the Government of Punjab, I would like to sincerely thank the entire business community, transporters and the general public,” she said. “Our people are highly aware and educated. They can distinguish between right and wrong, truth and lies and they have completely rejected this call.”
This is not the first time the government has decided to ban the TLP. The federal government outlawed the group in April 2021 under the Anti-Terrorism Act, following a wave of violent anti-France protests that left several police officers dead.
However, the ban was lifted just months later in November, after the government negotiated a deal with the party to end its march toward the capital.
Mazhar Abbas, a Karachi-based political analyst, pointed out that only the federal government had the legal authority to ban political parties, and any such move against the TLP must go beyond symbolic measures.
“If the federal government declares the TLP as a proscribed organization, the key question will be whether the ban remains effective,” he said.
Other analysts said the short-lived nature of past bans underscores a broader inconsistency in state policy toward hard-line religious groups.
“In the past, TLP was banned, but the ban was eventually lifted due to pressure from the group in the form of agitation,” said Zia ur Rehman, a researcher focusing on militancy and religious groups.
“This time, however, it will be crucial to observe how serious the state is about controlling extremism at a time when the country is facing threats from the Pakistani Taliban, Baloch separatist groups, and tensions with the Taliban administration [in Kabul] along its border,” he told Arab News.
He also warned that banning the TLP may not offer a long-term solution unless the state tackles the extremist ideology underpinning such groups.
“We have seen before that when an organization is banned, it often resurfaces under a different name. Groups like Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Sipah-e-Sahaba are prime examples of this pattern,” he added.
“The real challenge lies in addressing the extremist ideology that underpins these organizations. Without tackling this core issue, bans alone will have little impact,” he noted.
Majid Nizami, a Lahore-based political analyst, expressed skepticism over the durability of the state’s response.
“It remains to be seen whether the government’s response is temporary or not, as the state’s policies have remained unstable and inconsistent before,” he told Arab News.
Nizami emphasized the TLP’s challenge was symptomatic of a deeper problem.
“The issue is not about the clash between the TLP and the government, but rather a matter of dealing with the mindset that promotes religious extremism so that minorities can live without fear and insecurity,” he said. “Is the government ready for this long-term planning to counter religious extremism?”
