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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior ministry on Friday notified a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) religiopolitical party, declaring it a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The development came a day after the federal cabinet unanimously approved a summary to ban the party following violent clashes between TLP supporters and law enforcement personnel, mainly in the country’s most populous Punjab province, earlier this month. The party said its march toward Islamabad was for peaceful purposes and was intended to culminate in a sit-in outside the US Embassy in Islamabad to demonstrate solidarity with Gaza.

The Punjab government announced last Friday it had formally approved a recommendation to ban the TLP and sent it to the federal government for final enforcement. Punjab’s move came days thousands of TLP supporters clashed with police on the outskirts of Lahore on their way to Islamabad. The clashes killed five people, including two policemen, and injured more than 100 cops and dozens of protesters.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a meeting of the federal cabinet in which the interior ministry had submitted the summary to ban the TLP on behalf of the Punjab government, according to Sharif’s office. Senior Punjab government officials took part in the cabinet meeting, which was briefed on the “violent and terrorist” activities of the TLP across the country.

“The federal government has reasonable grounds to believe that Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is connected with and concerned in terrorism,” the Pakistani interior ministry said in a notification issued on Friday.

“Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11B(1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, the federal government hereby orders Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) to be a proscribed organization for the purpose of the Act.”

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 same 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 2021, after Islamabad negotiated a deal with the party to end its march toward the capital.

Authorities say police are now searching for TLP leader Saad Rizvi, who went into hiding after the clashes erupted on Oct. 13, when protesters tried to remove shipping containers placed by police to block roads to halt their rally.

Officials have said the demonstrators had been determined since Oct. 10 to stage a pro-Palestinian rally outside the US Embassy in Islamabad, and police repeatedly came under attack by the demonstrators with batons, rocks and guns.

TLP’S RISE

The TLP, led by its chief Saad Hussain Rizvi, is known for its street mobilization and confrontational politics. The party has repeatedly staged mass sit-ins and marches to Islamabad since its rise in 2017. Previous protests have often turned violent, resulting in extended clashes with police and days-long disruption of traffic on key highways leading to the capital.

TLP has its ideological roots in Barelvi Islam, a mainstream sect traditionally seen as moderate but for which blasphemy is a red line. It was formed in 2015 by Rizvi’s wheelchair-bound father, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, known for his fiery speeches and harsh criticism of political opponents.

The party started making waves in 2016 when it protested the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, a bodyguard who assassinated the governor of Punjab over his stance on blasphemy.

The TLP bagged 2.2 million votes in the 2018 national elections, mostly from the easter Punjab province, and won two provincial seats in southern Sindh. It also emerged as the third-largest party in Punjab, behind former prime minister Imran

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

According to Gallup Pakistan, over 2.89 million people voted for the far-right party in the 2024 national elections, 0.76 million more compared to the 2018 polls.

ISLAMABAD: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Pakistan’s Punjab province has warned of a rise in smog levels in major cities in the coming days, citing stable and dry weather conditions.

Cold, heavy air traps pollutants, including vehicle emissions, industrial smoke and dust, from November to mid-December. The seasonal crisis is often exacerbated by crop residue burning and lasts until February.

Lahore, a city of around 14 million people and the capital of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, this month began using anti-smog guns for the first time in an effort to reduce airborne pollutants.

On Friday, the PDMA said calm wind pattern, lower temperatures and humidity may prevent pollutants from dispersing and causing thick layers of smog in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalnagar and Khanpur districts.

“The rise in smog levels may trigger an increase in respiratory illnesses, asthma cases, and other pollution-related health problems,” the authority said.

“Vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing health conditions, are at high risk.”

The statement came as Lahore ranked the most polluted city in the world at around 12pm on Friday, with an air quality index (AQI) of 217, according to air quality monitor IQ Air.

Poor air quality can cause reduced visibility on roads, leading to a surge in traffic accidents, according to the PDMA. Outdoor activities can also be disrupted.

“Clear any hindrances on road to ensure smooth traffic flow,” it directed district administrations.

“Ensure sufficient staffing round-the-clock in DEOCS (district emergency operations centers) for effective coordination and coordinate with PDMA and all relevant departments to ensure a unified prompt response. Ensure accurate and timely dissemination of information on safety measures and evacuation plans through electronic and social media.”