ISLAMABAD: Protests led by a hard-line religious party paralyzed daily life in Islamabad and Rawalpindi for a second day on Saturday, with the group claiming 11 of its supporters were killed in clashes with police.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) this week urged supporters to stage a protest outside the United States (US) embassy in Islamabad to express solidarity with Palestine, prompting authorities to raid its headquarters in Lahore to prevent the march.
Clashes have since been reported in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and other cities, where police have placed shipping containers and fired tear gas to keep the protesters from marching to Islamabad. Protesters hurled stones at officers in response.
There has been no confirmation of casualties from the government, police or rescue officials. TLP said another 50 of its supporters had been injured in clashes since Thursday.
“No group will be allowed to march on Islamabad or any other city under any circumstances,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said as he reviewed security arrangements in Islamabad’s Faizabad area on Friday night.
“No one can be permitted to take the law into their own hands.”
The party is known for street mobilization and agitational politics, often invoking blasphemy-related issues or religious grievances. Since its rise in 2017, the group has repeatedly staged mass sit-ins and marches to Islamabad, many of which have paralyzed the capital and key highways for days.
Educational institutions remained closed and authorities suspended the Metro bus service in the twin cities, while residents said they faced difficulties due to the suspension of mobile Internet service.
The protest comes after Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire plan brokered by US President Donald Trump.
On Friday, State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said the government was making efforts to prevent TLP’s march toward Islamabad through peaceful means, asserting that the state “would not be blackmailed by mobs.”
“The main party to the issue is the Palestinians, and they are celebrating the recent peace deal,” he said, questioning the rationale behind the march.
